Senassori's First Adventure
by Taurieth
Summary: A novelization of the Pathfinder RPG campaign I have been playing with a few friends. From the first person perspective of Senassori, a Catfolk rogue. She has had a hard time at life for someone so young but that may be about to change. Rated T for some swearing, sexual innuendos and violence.
1. Journal of Senassori (Backstory)

My name is Senassori. I do not know where I am from, who my parents are. It has been to long since I was taken from them. All I remember is being a young cub, probably about 3 or 4 winters old, with my tribe out near the jungle where we travelled and hunted. It was in the middle of the summer and I was playing with my friends in the camp. I wanted to go out and explore but was being watched by one of the older kids. I found a way to sneak out of camp and I started wandering around the area. I remember being suddenly picked up by someone who stuffed me in a bag and started running.

I lost consciousness at some point and woke up in a cage. I didn't understand the people around me; their language was foreign and rough. It soon became apparent that I had been captured by these people and they didn't want me to get away. I was kept in a small cage on the back of a horse as the people took me far away from my home. We met up with a larger group of people who had several other children ether walking between them in chains and ropes or also in cages. I still didn't understand what anyone was saying but I know now that they were slavers who made their living by capturing young children for sale in various markets across Golarion.

I was treated badly by my captors whom didn't seem to care what they did with us. We had little food and had to sit in our cages in the hot sun. Some of the other children didn't make it and were thrown out on the road side since they were of little value at that point.

We traveled for a long time and I thought we would never get where we were going. It was almost winter when we arrived in the city of Totra in Osirion. I saw the ocean for the first time and was scared at the wide expanse of water. I was placed for sale in the slave market there but was never sold. Instead, on the night before the sale, I was stolen from the slavers by a beautiful cat woman. She had seen the slavers come into the city and had spotted me among the children there. She drugged me as I quickly fell asleep and don't remember how we got from the alley where my cage was to be on a boat on the ocean where I came to.

I learned that my captor was a member of the Catsdew Lofties, a thief's guild from the far away city of Korvosa in Varisia. She told me her name was Nessori and that she had been travelling back to Korvosa from a trip when she had seen me in the alley. She said that her group was always looking for young catfolk to join them as they made the best sneaks and burglars. She said I would never want for anything and that I would be trained by the best. I didn't understand most of what she meant then, but I was happy to be fed and full once more. I didn't take well to the boat ride though and was sick for most of it.

We arrived in Korvosa and Nessori took me to meet the leader of the guild, Marqet, who was a dark-skinned human with kind eyes but a hard face. She approved of Nessori taking me and placed me under her tutelage until I was old enough and skilled enough to become an active member of the group. I am to train under Master Nessori for several years and prove to be a very good asset to the group. Then I may be made a Master myself to help train other persons we find.

I have been here for almost seven winters now. Master Nessori tells me that I am now old enough to begin training with weapons. We try to avoid conflict but need to be prepared to defend ourselves if necessary. I wonder which ones I will choose and be trained in the use of. Master Nessori uses spiked gauntlets over her hands which allows her to grapple with enemies and deal quick blows to disable them. Master Marqet uses a katana strapped to her back in case of opposition. I am too small to use a sword, nor do I have the strength to punch people and cause the necessary damage. Master Nessori said she had something in mind for me, but I shall have to wait till tomorrow to see what she has for me.

The following day

I love my new weapons! I went to the training room this morning and Master Nessori had some items sitting on a table for me. She handed me two small daggers, just for my size, and asked how they felt in my hand. I flexed my wrists and the daggers moved fluidly in the air. The said she thought it would be a good match. She then gave me two leather wrist guards to put on my forearms. My daggers slid into a concealed sheath in each and I could eject them into my hand with a twitch of my wrist, or at least I will be able to do so with practice. She had me practice all day pulling them out, how to hold and move with them, and how to sheath them with a flick. It will take me a long while to get sheathing them right, but I will get it. My daggers will allow me to protect myself from even the largest foe as I can throw them through the air, or at least I will be able to after much training.

Some of the older girls have been making fun of me recently. I am very small for my age, only about three feet tall when I should be around four by now. They say I will never be a good thief as I will never be able to steal anything larger than a paperweight and only that if I manage to pick it up at all. I tried to remind them that sometimes the most valuable things are the smallest ones, but they just laughed and continued to make fun of my size. I will show them, no matter what it takes.

6 months later

I am quickly mastering the use of my daggers. I can release and sheath them silently every time without dropping them or cutting myself. For a long while my hands were covered with small cuts when I failed to catch them correctly or get my hand out of the way putting them back. I'm getting better at throwing them as I can hit the target but not always where I want. I wear my daggers everywhere and practice with them whenever I can. I know we aren't to kill people if we can avoid it, but I keep finding myself wanting to take out the guards instead of sneaking past them. They are getting more and more perceptive as the years pass. Several of the more inexperienced thieves have been caught recently and were executed for their failure to be silent. I would rather kill a guard upon entering a house than risk being caught by one.

There's a new girl here. She was found by one of the other thieves stealing from people in the market. Her name is Vasara and she is around my age and is also a catfolk, though she if from one of the tiger-like clans while I was from a leopard-like clan. I've been assigned to be her sister for that reason. The masters try to pair us up if possible with the new ones so that we can help them to acclimate to their new life better and we are sisters for our time here. We will train together and go out on missions as pairs. I hope she proves to be a good thief else I will have issues having an incompetent sister.

6 months later

I get to go out on my first mission tomorrow! Master Nessori has deemed me able to join in the smaller and less dangerous ones. I don't know what my task will be, but I can't wait. I have been working diligently on my skills and can almost rival the older sisters in my acrobatics and stealth abilities. So far only Master Nessori and Master Marqet have caught me sneaking around the compound these last few weeks. I have started to learn other burglary skills such as picking locks and how to evaluate the worth of something. I had no idea how much you have to consider when guessing how much something is worth. Master Marqet said she would take me with her to the market sometime soon to show me how true this is and to test my abilities. I hope I can please her in my abilities as I want to be a good thief and do my best for everyone here and prove I was a good choice and that I can be a good thief even though I'm small.

Vasara has come along well in the few months she has been here. She is quickly mastering the sneaking abilities, but her acrobatics could use some work. She is larger than me and stronger, but I am faster and can disappear easily into the night. We make a good team and enjoy pulling pranks together. Since I've learned how to pick locks we have been breaking into others' rooms and move things around. She stands guard while I open the door and sneak in. We move a few things around but don't take anything. We are allowed to do this in order to hone our skills in burglary but are not to take anything of value nor keep it for any extended period of time. We are also to only do this to other trainees and never to target the rooms of the older sisters who are full members of the gang. Vasara wants to adhere to the rules while I want to test my skills on a more challenging target. I'll refrain from doing so now but I will do it someday, maybe into Master Nessori's chambers just to see if I can.

Next day

That was an affront to my skills as a thief! I can't believe that Master Marqet would even send me on such a paltry mission! Does she think of me as a weak kitten who can't leave her parents' side! I am one of the best here!

I guess punching the wall wasn't the best idea. That hurt. I guess I should explain what got me so worked up.

Master Nessori sent me with an older trainee, a native Korvosan named Elie, on the mission today. She instructed us to go to the market and meet with a familiar person there who would then have more information for us. We bowed and slipped out the door in the quickly brightening light of dawn. We quickly climbed up to the roof and set out towards the central market a dozen or so blocks away. There were few people out, but none were looking up as we passed by. We made it to the market as the sun floated fully above the horizon. We scouted out the area but couldn't find anyone we knew. I suggested we climb down and try to mingle with the growing crowd as merchants were setting up their stalls with their goods. Elie didn't want to leave the safety of the roof where we were concealed. At that moment someone tapped me on the shoulder and I jumped and almost fell off the roof. Master Marqet was standing behind us disguised as a gypsy woman.

"Your skills in perception could use a good deal of work, Senasorri." She told me. "If I was a guard or another thief you would easily be dead now."

I hung my head. I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings like I had been taught. Master Marqet placed a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to her smiling.

"It takes practice and out here there is a lot more to contend with than there is in the compound. You are not familiar with every sound and person here. You must always be on guard and alert. You never know what will happen out here." She said kindly. "This is only a basic test, so you know what to expect on a real and larger mission."

I nodded and she squeezed my shoulder.

"And for the record Elie, you should have been paying more attention too. You are almost ready for the initiation, but you did not perceive my presence here on the roof from the moment you arrived."

Elie began to protest but Master Marqet held up her hand for silence.

"I shall speak with Master Belva about your training. You may not be as ready as she seems to think. You will both have another chance to redeem yourselves from this slip up but remember, you don't always get second chances in life."

We both nodded and awaited her instructions.

"You are to follow me as I go to sell things in the market. You are to pretend to be my apprentices in learning how to trade and sell things of value. This part is not to sneak around but to show you can blend in with a crowd. I also want you to pay attention to how the transactions go as I may quiz you or ask your opinion on a deal and if you answer wrong the next task may be much harder."

We both nodded and she beckoned for us to follow her down to the city streets.

I hadn't been out in the city much since I had arrived at Korvosa nearly eight years ago. I was almost overwhelmed by all of the sights and sounds assailing my ears. I stuck close to Master Marqet and tried to calm my thudding heart as excitement for my mission swelled though me. I paid close attention to her bartering with various merchants as she purchased various things that would be useful to the Lofties. Food, clothing, trinkets, etc. were haggled over and purchased at sometimes surprising prices. I watched as she skillfully beat the merchants down to more desirable prices and sometimes paid very little for something that was initially a fairly expensive item. Soon she switched to selling items that had been lifted by other members of the crew. Little trinkets and jewelry that wouldn't be recognized by anyone but the owner was apparently easy to sell in the market here as long as it hadn't been taken too recently. I was starting to become bored and watch the crowd when Master Marqet said my name.

"Sena, what do you think about this offer?"

I hadn't been paying much attention, but I quickly ran over what I had learned and did my best.

"I think that 50 silver would be a reasonable price for the bracelet. It has decent craftsmanship and would be easily sold again."

Apparently, that wasn't what she had wanted me to say as her face flitted to a scowl them became blank again.

"Maybe next time you should be paying more attention to what your Master is doing than watching the people pass by." She said. "This merchant is offering 60 silver which is a reasonable but low price for this bracelet which could fetch up to 80 silver easily."

I was quiet as she finished her transaction and let Vasara and I out of the market. I had failed her again and didn't know what was in store for me. We turned a corner and met Master Belva there. She quickly took all of our bundles before nodding to Master Marqet and quickly moving away. Master Marqet turned to us then with a resigned look on her face.

"I doubt this shall go well but I trust that the two of you can manage this task. You are to split up and mingle with the crowd again. You are to pickpocket people and take any items of worth from stalls without being caught. Consider this a trial to see if you are actually worthy of being a member of the Catsdew Lofties. Report back to the compound by nightfall. If you do not return, we will assume you have been caught and are no longer worthy of our training. Good luck as you will need it."

My mouth hung open as I watched her virtually disappear before us. How could she do this? If I failed I was done, and obviously she expected us to fail.

"Well good luck little one, you will need it." Vasara said before turning to return to the crowd in the market.

I scowled as she disappeared and took a few deep breaths before following and going a different direction. I knew I could do this as I have natural abilities in sneaking around. This was just a much more complex environment than I was used to. I could do this as long as I was careful.

I decided I would target stalls near the far edge of the market and work my way back later so as to have a safe area where most people wouldn't be on the alert for me in case I was seen. I was at a disadvantage as many stalls had tables that were just at my head height, making stealing something nigh on impossible from them without being seen. I finally found a jewelry stand being manned by a gnome who had much lower tables than anyone else I had seen so far. I casually approached and viewed her wares with a casual but calculated look. The gnome seemed to find my presence funny and humored me by asking if I was looking for something. I said I wanted to buy a gift for my mother and the gnome smiled and showed me a few items for fairly low prices. I thanked her before moving on. After going far enough away I snuck back behind the stall and waited till the timing was right. I managed to snitch a pretty gold bangle from the back of her stand while she was talking with someone else and slipped away. I secured the jewelry inside of my tunic so as not to lose it to another thief or have it fall out in case I had to make a speedy retreat.

I managed to lift two purses off relatively older gentlemen which contained a fair amount of coin though nothing of great value. I added to my cache a bracelet, some food, and a scarf which was dyed a beautiful sea green that I took as I wanted it to make a sash or something as I liked the color. I hadn't seen Vasara all day and it was beginning to get dark. I was satisfied with what I had managed to get and decided to go back home before I was caught. I debated eating the food I had pilfered but wanted to have everything there to show Master Marqet so I ignored my growling stomach and booked it home.

I showed Master Marqet what I had managed to steal, and she merely nodded and left the room with a single comment.

"I'm surprised you managed to carry anything back with how poorly you preformed today."

I was seething from this and couldn't believe that she still thought I wasn't a good thief. I stormed out of the room, taking the scarf I had stolen. I turned and went back and swept everything else off the table as well before running back to my room. I hope Vasara comes back with nothing and shows that at least I was able to get something.

Few weeks later

It is becoming harder and harder to break into the others' rooms. I used to be able to sneak in easily and move things around and even take a few small items to leave elsewhere in the area. I think they are catching onto me, or at least that someone is getting in. The doors are barred with more secure locks and they are not so lax about leaving their valuables out in the open. I don't know if I will be able to keep doing this, especially with Vasara being gone. She was caught by the owner of a house she was supposed to sneak into in order to find the location of a specific object that Master Marqet wanted us to take at a later date. She didn't fight back as she was apprehended by the man and was injured pretty badly. I know we aren't supposed to harm or injure people but fighting to save your own life is different. A quick blow would have disabled him and left her free to get away. Now she faces the executioner because she had lifted a few small but valuable items while there instead of just getting the information she was supposed to. Master Nessori has forbid me from trying to help her to escape, and she is pretty much guarding my room to keep me from leaving without permission. Vasara is my friend. I can't just leave her to die.

Next week

Vasara is gone. Her cell was found empty but there was a lot of blood there. I don't know if she somehow made it out or if she is dead somewhere. It would be foolish to try and search for her. She wouldn't have stayed in this city after getting out of that cell. I wish I could go and search for her, but my training is almost finished. I'll be a master in a few more years and I won't keep that from happening.

A few months later

I write this hastily as I do not have much time. I've managed to grab a few things that I cannot bear to leave behind. I shall never see this place again.

1 Week later

I do not think anyone is following me. I have travelled far and I do not think anyone has pursued me from Korvosa. My last entry was so short but that is all I had time for before I fled. Details are now hazy, but I feel I must write about what happened in case I am ever caught and killed before I can confess my innocence.

We were assigned a mission. We were to go to one of the noble houses and steal an item of value. This was to be my trial mission and if I preformed perfectly I was to become a master. I remember being nervous but determined to do a good job. We managed to get into the house fine even though the guards seemed to be on alert. While inside one of the other thieves went into another room to get a few other items. In doing so they woke a child who was in the room who began screaming. They kidnapped the child as they left instead of just running. We were not to ever take someone, especially a child, from a house nor to kill them even if our lives depended on it. After regrouping the thief decided to kill the child before we continued on. I objected and moved to stop them but was too late. The thief slit the child's throat and all I remember is moving quicly. I do not remember much of the fight but soon every single one of the thieves there were dead. I picked up the child and snuck back to the house and laid it outside where it could be found. I snuck into my room and quickly grabbed a few things I couldn't leave behind. My journal, favorite pen, a few jewelry items I had picked up over the years, and that green sash that I first stole.

Then I started running. I knew I could never go back after what I had done. I had turned on my comrades and killed them all. Those were the first people I had ever killed. I have killed several more now, defending myself in order to stay alive. I'm not sure what I should do now. I've been living off what I can find, stealing what I need to live. I don't have any sense of direction besides the map I took from a shop a few months ago. I don't know who I can trust. Even if I should trust anyone.

3 Weeks later

I've decided to head south. I've managed to make it a ways down the coast and haven't seen or heard of anyone coming after me yet. It shouldn't have taken them long to find that my body wasn't among the dead. I can't risk staying around here and risk them finding me. I have nowhere to go really, unless I try to find my home. All I know is I was a few months travel away from Osirion since the caravan took that long to get there. I will head there first and see if I can find any information on either those who took me or about my tribe.


	2. Meeting People

I'm walking down the road, a crossroads up ahead. The sun beats down on my fur and the ground is dry and rocky beneath my paws. I'm heading west from Finderlain, though I never actually entered that city for fear of being found. Silence reigns as there hasn't even been a gust of wind for a few days.

I see someone coming towards me. They don't have any fur visible on their body except for a tuft on their head. _Human._ The person is tall, also apparently male from his scent. I hadn't seen many humans up close before, let alone males.

He stops opposite me as we come to the crossroad at the same time. I stop as well, waiting for him to pass so I can continue on my way.

The man just stands there, unmoving.

""Ya gonna stand there all day or move at some point?" I say.

The man takes a few steps towards me, "Hard to believe you haven't seen a human before."

"Oh, I've seen humans before. Just not as ugly as you." I respond.

He doesn't respond to my remark and just keeps walking. My thief habits take hold and I take a surveying look as he passes. His clothes are worthless, and I don't even hear a jingle of coins coming from him. I've never met someone who didn't even have a few coins on them, so I start to follow after him, walking a dozen or so paces behind him.

The man seems to sense I'm following him now as he looks over his shoulder periodically.

"So, you meet me and then turn and start following me. What do you want?" he calls out, still walking.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"The name's Malik. You? Also, you going to stay back there or catch up?" he says back.

I quickly run forward to be next to him. I look up at his face, he is definitely much taller up close than he was before.

"Senassori." I state.

"A pleasure I'm sure." He remarks. "Are you a child or are all your people so short?"

I wrinkle my nose at being called short. "Watch it mister. I'll have you know that I am considered an adult among my race, I just happen to be smaller than most."

"No need to get testy, just figured it'd be good to know who I'm talking to."

I give him a look but continue walking. "So where are you going, Malik?"

He seems puzzled, like not really sure if or how he should answer my question. After a few minutes I answer my own question. "I'm looking for someone. I was told that this region was the best area to find the people I am looking for."

Malik seems to come back from being lost in thought. "Sorry, who are you looking for?"

"I don't really know." I confess, "I'm searching for my tribe, my family. I was taken from them when I was very young. I don't remember much about them so I'm searching for the bastards who took me. I've been searching for a few weeks, but I've been told this region is most likely the place to get the information I need."

"Searching for the slavers that abducted you huh? A wayward journey home. I can respect that." Malik responds.

"Pretty much. I don't have much else to do now so why not try to find them. If they are still around or alive."

"I'm sure they are. What do you mean 'not much to do now'?" Malik questions.

I shut my mouth tight, not willing to go into my past any more with a strange poor person I had just met.

Malik seems to understand my silence. "Sounds like we both have things we don't want to talk about."

I nod, willing to give him at least that much.

"That's ok." He says with a pat on my shoulder, "I was a soldier, a medic if you will. I've watched countless men and many women and children die for nothing."

Malik looks about him, "I saved as many as I could, but for every one I did several more were brought to me. I left when…well…let's just say an order was given that I didn't approve of. And many innocents died."

"I'm sorry." I say, not knowing what else to really say to him.

We had walked for a while as we chatted and crested a hill. On the other side was a small caravan with several guards making camp by a small pond. I can see what seems to be gold and spices inside the wagons. My paws and ears twitch slightly and the sight of those riches as my heart start beating faster at the possibility of items to steal.

"Traders you think?" Malik asks.

"Definitely." I respond. "Highly valuable trade items too."

"Well that's not necessarily any of our business." Malik says with an air of caution yet curiosity.

"But it could be." I say, wishing it indeed was.

"So that's why you were eyeing me earlier." He says, affronted. "What, you still think I carry anything of value?"

"Everyone has something of value, just not always of money value." I respond, still watching the wagons. "But yes, I wondered if you had anything of interest to me."

"And?" he probes.

"I didn't see anything useful to me."

"I know my stuff is old but it's still good." He responds, seemingly annoyed that I saw his belongings as useless.

"If you say so." I say as I step off the road and crouch down into the grass.

Malik walks over and stands behind me. The midday sun beats down on my fur, warming it almost too much.

"Are you thirsty? They may let you go and fill a waterskin at the pond there." I say to Malik.

"I'm not stupid." He says, with that slight hint of sarcasm, "You just want me to be a distraction."

"I didn't say I was going to take anything. Just maybe snoop around." I retort.

"Same difference for a cat-thief."

I give him a look and go back to surveying the caravan.

There are three covered wagons with their oxen chained up by the pond for watering purposes. One of the wagons has a tarp tightly covering the back. The other two are open at the back. One of the other two wagons has bags and boxes of spices, the scent tickling my nose with their perfume. I am able to make out the telltale bricks of gold in the other open wagon, but the other contents of that wagon are what hold my eye. Food. Enough provisions to get the caravan across the country with extra to spare. I scan the camp to locate each of the guards and caravanners. I can see 4 sell sword guards split into pairs. One set helping two of the caravanners tend to a new fire while the others patrol near the wagons. 4 other caravanners are tending to the oxen and filling the groups waterskins.

I assess my chances and wait for the guards patrolling the wagons to turn their back to me. I dip behind tufts of grass and brush as I make my way down to the wagon with the provisions. I pause by the open back and slip in to grab a sack.

I hear one of the guards say something about hearing a sound. I quickly stuff the nearest bag of provisions into my own very slack sack I keep across my back and crouch down on all fours, ready for whatever may come. The guard comes and apparently only sees my spotted fur and tries to roughly shoo me out of the wagon.

I hiss at the guard and grab my bag in my mouth, hoping they still think I'm a wild animal and make a dash for it. I slip past the guard and veer off to the east not directly at the road. I however didn't see the other guard who manages to grab ahold of my belt. I twist and paw at them, trying to not lose my grip on the priceless bag of food in my mouth.

The other guard comes over to try and help but they end up getting in each other's way and I wiggle free of them. By now the other two guards have come over and decide to try and cut me off from escaping. I see Malik come over and deck one of the new guards from behind and I manage to claw one of the others trying to grab my belt again. I twist and roll away from the guard's hand and try to find an exit.

Over the sounds of commotion, I hear screams of terror coming from the pond area. I pause and look in that direction, not knowing if I should drop the bag and run now or go to help whoever is screaming. One of the guards is on the ground not moving and the other three pauses to look towards the pond as well. My only clear path away is around the wagons anyways so I grab the bag and zip around the wagons towards the pond and unknown terror that must be somewhere around there.

Around the wagon I come upon a gristly sight. One of the traders is dead, gashed open by the tell-tale wounds of tooth and claw. The other is dying, covered in his own blood. I can't see any of the other traders who had been over here before. I move closer and can tell the marks are from those of jackals. I set down my bag and kneel besides the dying man, wishing that there was something I could do. The man's head rolls and he goes limp as he passes out, blood still ebbing from his many wounds.

_There's nothing I can do for him now._ I reach over and close the man's eyes before standing up.

Malik walks over to me, unharmed from the little skirmish. "We are not alone," he says quietly and cautiously as he bends down to the dying man, "Ice doesn't just happen here."

Not knowing if he can help the man or not I look around, trying to piece together what he said while looking for any company we might be in for.

"I don't' sense anyone around, but I don't feel it is right to leave these people here like this." I say.

I go to the provisions wagon and fetch some supplies for stoking the now dying fire and provisions for a meal.

"Fair." Malik says.

He must have been able to do something for the dying trader because he drags him over towards the fire and props him up against a wagon wheel. I go over to the pond and find that the traders had managed to fill all the waterskins before being turned to ribbons by the jackals. I grab them and place all but one in the wagons before returning to the fire. I manage to stoke it back to life before setting out food I found.

Malik bring an unconscious guard over to lean next to the trader. _The other ones must be dead for him to care only about this one._

"The oxen are still here…surprisingly." He says as he comes back to the fire. "Do you think they will have a shovel in their wagon, or did you happen to find one in your perusings?"

"I haven't dug around much besides grabbing food. I can check though." I say as I go to the wagons.

I find one in the provisions wagon and toss it to Malik, "Here's one."

"Yay, digging." He says in a definitely sarcastic tone before setting out to dig a hole big enough for the four bodies he has lined up on the other side of the wagons.

"They don't need to be too deep." I call out as I continue to investigate the wagons. "Just enough to cover them."

I find nothing more besides other basic camping supplies in the provisions wagon. The tarp on the last wagon refuses to move no matter how much I try to pick at the rope holding down the tarp. The spices wagon reveals 8 barrels of kesh.

"Well," I call out as I finish my searching, "The are three weeks from their destination going by the provisions here. And are loaded with kesh and gold."

"I know what gold is," Malik says as he pauses in digging, "what is kesh."

"And there is something in the third wagon I can't get to." I say before responding to his question with a simple "Drugs."

"Ah, is it tied? With rope?"

I'm going that he is referring to the covered cart and not the drugs. "The wagon is tied but I can't seem to get it loose no matter what."

"So use those claws of yours or a knife and cut it."

"I tried." I say with a look of 'no duh'.

"Search the pockets of the traders." Malik says as he finishes up digging.

"Whatever it is it must be highly valuable to them." I say as I get out of the wagon.

"May be something to help on one of the two traders, or the dead guard as well."

I search the dead guards and traders before helping Malik to push them into the graves.

"Not the dead one, the unconscious one." Malik states.

I stick my tongue out at him before rifling through the remaining trader's clothing. I place all of my finds on a pile I had been accumulating by the fire. The dead trader had actually had something of note in his belt, an obsidian knife. I take it back to the covered wagon as Malik throws dirt over the bodies.

I set the knife blade to the covered wagon's bindings. The blade seems to melt the rope as it easily passes through it. The two ends of the rope separate before the whole rope disappears into nothing. I stick the knife into my own belt before pulling back the covering.

"I figured it had to be something like that." Malik states, cooking the food I had pulled out.

I step into the wagon and approach the solitary object sitting in its center. A single wooden cube about the size of my hand.

"Whatcha got?" Malik calls out.

"There's a wooden cube in here."

"That's it?"

"Yeah…"

"Magic rope and a magic knife for a cube…any markings on it?"

I tap the cube with my knife, wondering if it will do anything since it's a magic knife.

Malik comes over and looks over the edge of the wagon at the cube. "Whoever threw that ice is probably interested in this. Gold and drugs are one thing, but this could be an entirely other."

Against my better instincts I bend over and pick up the cube. It feels solid in my hand, and heavy. Like a weight one would throw to hurt someone quite a bit.

Malik returns to the fire, looking around as he does so.

I jump out of the wagon and return to the fire with the cube in my hand. "What do you think happened to the other traders? Four of them are missing."

"Potentially taken by whoever cast that ice and killed the last guard." Malik states.

"Hmmm…I don't like it." I say uneasily, "The combination of the jackal attack with the ice attack and our happening upon this location can't be a coincidence."

I look over at the two men, "Part of me wants to move on and leave this place, but part of me knows we should stay and watch over these men."

"I feel we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We could just leave, wash our hands of the situation." Malik reasons.

I get up to check on the two men. "These guys are still out. We can either stay and hopefully be rewarded for our help, even though we attacked them, while risking being found by the ice person. Or. We can take some provisions and leave."

"The issue is with the cube. It appears to be very valuable, but we do not know who deems it to be such. I say we leave and take our chances with it."

"Or we stay, potentially discover who the ice caster is and work with them. They may be shady and be able to lead us to your slavers." Malik counters.

"Or they could be one of the slavers and take us as slaves." I reason back. I look around again, not liking how empty the area is. "I vote we stay till around dusk and see if anyone shows up. If not, we move a little ways away where we could still the fire and figures here and wait out the night. If still no one comes we will make a decision in the morning."

"That works." Malik agrees.

I'm take a step towards the fire when the guard Malik had knocked out groans. His hands and face start to move as he begins to wake up. Malik notices as his stance stiffens as he tenses, a battle reflex I'm guessing. I walk over to the wagon and grab on of the waterskins I had stashed there earlier. In the few seconds that had elapsed the guard has taken in his situation, yet he warily takes the proffered waterskin when I hand it to him.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" I ask him.

"My head." Comes an understandable indignant response.

"Yeah, sorry bout that," Malik says, as he is looking towards the northern sky, "be glad you're not dead."

The guard seems less than thrilled, "I might be."

"I'm sorry for what happened. I haven't eaten a real meal for the past few days, and I couldn't help myself from taking some food. I didn't mean for the fighting to get that bad." I say, feeling somewhat bad that I instigated a fight that could have been avoided.

"And it was getting hot for her, so I backed her up." Malik adds before turning to look at me, "Sandstorm incoming, we've got about an hour."

"Well crap." I say, some fear breaking into my voice, "We aren't prepped for a storm."

"Maybe you should keep a tighter leash on your pet," the guard says before looking around the area more. "Where is everyone?"

"Taken or dead." Malik replies, returning to sit near the fire, apparently deciding that the guard doesn't pose enough of a threat to be on guard any more.

"I'm not his pet!" I say indignantly.

"So, the talking jackal claims to be its own person…" the guard scoffs.

"While you were occupied by my theft real jackals attacked and killed two of the traders and the other four weren't here." I say, "And I'm a Catfolk for the record."

"Yeah, quite the spirit she has." Malik chimes in.

"And the other sell swords I was with?" the guard asks me, handing back the depleted waterskin.

"Dead." I respond, taking the sagging skin back, "Big oaf here didn't realize his strength and killed two of them and the third we aren't sure about."

Malik looks down dejectedly at my comment about his deeds, "Only one."

The guard seems to be confused by our accounting of his previous comrades, "What do you mean, 'you aren't sure.'? You're not sure they're dead?"

"Oh, he's dead," I clarify, "but not by Malik here. He says a shard of ice pierced the guy's heart and killed him. But we have no clue as to where the shard came from."

"Not the first to fall from…" the guard starts to say but trails off. "Whatever it is has been following us for the last two weeks, picking us off one by one. Not the traders though…only us hired guards. It's like…"

A sound like a clap of thunder echoes across the hills. I start and scan the area around us and notice a slight puff of smoke trailing up from a hilltop a few mounds over. Upon looking back at the guard, I jump back. A shard of ice protrudes from his neck, now lolling upon his shoulders.

"COME ON OUT!" Malik shouts, "What do you want?"

I drop to the ground as he shouts, running as quick as I can off in the direction of the hill. I don't directly approach the hill but skirt around it so as to approach from the backside, facing the camp.

No one is on the hill, so I examine the ground around the top. I can make out and impression in the grass from where someone has laid prone there. I sniff the air, being reminded of the air before a storm, tingling with energy. Closer examination farther out reveals a trail of footsteps leading off towards the west. I start to follow the marks, but it abruptly ends before I get more than a few steps.

_Well whoever it was either is magic or really good at not leaving a trail. A sniper by the looks of how they were lying in the grass, hidden but with a good view of the camp and its inhabitants._

I shiver, once again not liking how open this area was. There is nothing else for me to learn from this hill, so I walk back the several dozed yards to the camp.

"Where did you go?!" exclaims Malik, obviously agitated at my disappearance.

"Then the ice killed the last guard I saw smoke from a few hills over. I want to check it out." I explain, "I didn't find anyone there, but someone was lying in the grass for a while."

My tail flicks back and forth as it does when I am irritated or annoyed. _I don't like it when I can't find someone who I need to keep tabs on._

"There's something you need to know," Malik says slowly, "Inside every person is a spark, something that shows the strength of their life force, typically their race too. The cube has a spark, but one I've never seen before."

"Sure," I say, looking at Malik like he's crazy.

"You may think I'm crazy, but it's true. This cube is a prison for something."

"Great." I say with a groan.

"That is its value." He verifies."

"Then we will put it back where we got it." I reason, really wishing we had left the wagon alone.

"But what would those with different skins want with, with a prison?" comes a new voice.

"Oh hey," I say looking at the now conscious trader for the first time, "you are awake."

"Me and your companion have been talking." He says.

"Different skins?" Malik questions, "Shape shifters? The spark in the cube has no color. Every spark I've seen has a color."

"Ok." I respond before turning back to the trader, "I'm sorry about your companions. And for us attacking the guards."

"If it is truly a neutral being that can be swayed it can't be allowed to fall into the hands of those that would kill for it." Malik states, still trying to wrap his mind around the cube.

"You attacked the guards?" the trader says, seeming confused.

"They attacked me first." I defended.

"I wanted to protect my friend, and killing one was a mistake, and you I saved." Malik added.

"They have been on edge," the trader reasons back, "Lots of them dying in the night."

"Who said I was your friend?" I retort to Malik.

"Be that way." Malik retaliated.

"I didn't…I…" I sigh, realizing it's too late to do anything else about that.

"I can understand being on edge when you are being hunted." I say, looking back at the trader, "I have lost many nights of sleep due to that paranoia of being found."

"And for that reason, I shall get no sleep tonight." The trader says understandingly.

"We don't have much time here though." I say, remembering Malik's earlier warning. "A sandstorm is fast approaching, and we are not protected here. We should move. You can come with us."

"We've weathered many storms with the wagons," the trader says assuredly, "The sand storms lose most of their power moving across the grass. We should be safe here."

"But do you really want to stay here?" Malik asks.

"Would you rather abandon all of this trade? The oxen won't outrun the storm, and we'll be fine here. And besides, you've scared off those demons before, I doubt they'll attack with you here."

"Depends on their numbers, but ok." Malik agrees.

"It's your stuff, not ours. But we will stay." I respond

"Might as well be ours now." Malik decides.

"Unless they can not only change skin but also change numbers, their number should still be four." The trader adds.

"Four between three should be fine." I say, happy in our odds.

"Yes, but we will be sitting ducks for the caster." Malik cautions.

"The other guards said they were the targets. We should be fine." I reason back.

"And if we can reach Katapesh safely, I'll give you equal shares in our sale as payment for escort." The trader states, "It was originally split 20 ways, but now splitting it three ways would be quite a monetary gain."

"What do you think we are now, Senassori? Especially if we take payment?" Malik asks me.

My ears perk up at the word payment, "Hired escorts." I state.

"Sell swords." Malik says bluntly, "Guards."

"Fellow traders in a caravan headed for Katapesh…eh?" the trader breaks in.

"But I don't have a sword?" I reason, "Traders works for me."

Malik takes off his gauntlet and takes a swing at my head. I duck behind the trader, avoiding his hand.

"You get my point." Malik responds."

"Is there a problem here?" The trader asks, confused.

Malik puts his gauntlet back on, "Not anymore."

I peek out from behind the trader, "I hope not."

I stretch and my stomach growls. "Well. I think we should seal the deal with a meal."

"If it's not burnt." Malik responds.

"Food is food." I say, not really caring at the moment.

"Then in that case, shall we stake down the wagons and wait out the storm while we eat. "the trader adds.

Malik moves to check his pot of food by the fire. "I'll let you." He says in my direction.

"Ok." I agree, looking at the trader for instructions.

"The sets of stakes are in the wagon with the provisions and tools, I'll go get them, if one of you two wants to help me." The trader says.

"I'll help." I say

"Well food is salvageable." Malik says as he dampens the fire until only coals remain. "I will too."

"Yay," I exclaim, delighted at the idea of food, "let's get this done so we can eat."

The trader pulls out stakes and other camp supplies and instructs us on how to secure the wagons and goods so that the sandstorm won't blow all the stuff away. It doesn't take the three of us long to finish up, the trader moving exceptionally well for having been so close to death. Malik dishes up the food, kind of like a stew or hearty soup. We climb into one of the wagons and pull the cover over us, protecting us as the sand starts to fill the air. The sound of the grains hitting the canvas reminds me of a light rain. The pattering almost soothing when you don't think about what is actually causing the noise.

"It's not the best but it will do." Malik states, apparently wishing his food hadn't sat on the fire for so long.

"It's delicious!" I exclaim around the spoon as I shovel it in as fast as I can.

"Well you are welcome to more." Malik responds with a slight smile.

"Yes please!" I exclaim.

We finish our food without further comment. The storm passes and with it goes the light of day. The sun has sunk below the horizon. I stretched and patted my obviously filled stomach, content with my meal.

"That is the fullest I have been in a long time." I say with a happy sigh.

"Well yeah," Malik exclaims, "you ate two portions and half the traders."

"Not my fault I was hungry." I retort.

"And I couldn't ear anyway." Responds the trader, visibly growing anxious as night settles in.

"See it was fine." I say back to Malik, happy to be verified by the trader.

"Well," Malik says with a survey of the area, "We can sleep in shifts."

"Ok," I agree, liking the idea of sleep, "Who wants to be first?"

"I will take first watch." Malik decides. "Do try and get some sleep."

"Won't be a problem for me," I reply, already pulling a blanket out of the wagon. "I'm used to catnapping."

"Well, I'll try to get whatever sleep I can." The trader sighs, accepting the fact he should at least try to rest.

I just hear Malik respond with "You will need it." before I fall asleep.


	3. Something is Wrong

I awake to a gently shaking as Malik wakes me for my own watch. He falls asleep quickly and I stretch the sleep from my limbs before taking a lap around our camp. It had grown colder from when I fell asleep, but the ground retained a little of its warmth in the ocean of rocks, sand, and grass that rolls out in every direction from me. I feel the lonely tree-less expanse and how it separates me from the home I once knew.

I finish my lap and return to our little camp. Not knowing of anything else to do, I pull out my daggers and quietly throw them into a hummock of dirt, practicing my throws.

Something catches my eye across the camp, a bright light seems to have appeared from the other side of one of the wagons. Wondering what it could be I crawl under one of the wagons and peek out at the other side.

Where there used to be rolling hills now stands a sheer drop with a bridge of light extending away from the cliff. My fur stands on end and my tail fluffs out in surprise and a little bit of terror. I back away from the edge under the wagon, knowing I need to wake the others.

When I crawl backwards out from under the wagon, the campsite has been transformed. Where moments ago, stood the wagons and our cheery campfire is now a great forest stretching out in front of me. The space between the trees is filled with darkness, save a single winding path that is lit with a source less light.

Terror fills my being. Not knowing what else to do I crawl back under the wagon and curl up in a ball, hoping that whatever is happening will go away. Warmth blooms against my back and I jump up, startled.

Behind me where the wagon was now sits a welcoming hearth with a roaring fire prepared within. Looking around I now find myself in a living room. My eyes widen as I recognize the room as that room where my life forever changed, the room in which I murdered my companions. The terror consumes me, and I run. I run as hard as I can, but almost trip over something as I exit the house. I turn to look at what it was I tripped on. The body of a child lays there in the doorway, surrounded by a pool of fresh blood.


	4. A New Stranger

Suddenly I wake up, my body drenched in a cold sweat. The camp and wagons are around me as they had been before. I look about me and see a shadowy figure hunched over Malik's sleeping body. Without thinking I flick out a dagger and throw it at the figure. The dagger flies through the air towards my target.

With a flick of their wrist the shadowy figure deflects my dagger off the back of its hand. The clash makes a sound of metal sliding along a smooth stone, rasping as it passes. The stranger turns to look at me. Underneath the large hood I can see their eyes glowing, a cool comforting blue of the sky I was born under looks back at me.

I yowl, hoping to wake my companions. Malik stirs and quickly throws a punch at the figure next to him. His hand misses and he only hits the cloth of the stranger's cloak. Malik reaches for his bag as I throw my other dagger at the stranger, hoping to at least distract them. It flies straight and true but is once again deflected by the stranger's quick hand. Malik manages to grab his bag but in doing so spills all of the contents upon the ground save for the cube, which was in the hand of the stranger, who had been clutching it inside the bag.

"Who or what are you!" I yell at the figure.

"I am only here for this." The stranger replies.

Malik attempts to tackle the stranger but manages to only grab their cloak.

"Well you can't have it." He states as he pulls the stranger to the ground and wrestles with them.

He manages to pin the stranger down, but only for a few seconds before they are able to roll away from his grasp.

"What is it to you?" Malik asks, slightly out of breath.

"Do you even know that this is?!" the stranger replies.

"Something inside it, sealed or bound."

While they are talking, I pounce at the hopefully distracted stranger. Midair in my pounce something collides with my face momentarily before flying off. Distracting me so that I miss my target.

"This must be destroyed." The stranger says, apparently unfazed by my failed pounce attempt.

"Why?" Malik and I both ask.

"Because it is evil." the stranger responds. "From the looks of it, you just experienced what's inside it."

Malik turns to look at me, "What?" he questions, not knowing what has occurred.

My eyes widen in realization, "Kill it. Kill it now." I demand.

"Again, WHAT!" Malik demands.

"It can't be destroyed here," the stranger says, seeming to ignore Malik, "It's in the wrong plane."

"Ok," Malik says, resigned that he won't have his question answered fully, "though I still don't understand what makes it evil."

"Then take it away. Far far away." I tell the stranger, wanting the cube to be as far away from me as possible.

"No." Malik states, almost with a stop of his foot, "That isn't a option. Yet."

During all of this commotion the trader wakes up, "What's going on?!" he shouts.

"Now you wake up?" I say surprised, "Just be quiet."

"But what's going on?" the trader asks, "Why are we all shouting? Who's this new person?"

I move over to the trader, "He knows what the cube is and will destroy it."

"So we're not going to sell it?" the trader says, a hint of sadness at the disappearing option for more money.

"No." Malik very firmly states.

"Oh..." the trader trails off.

"That thing should never be around a living thing." I state, "I will not allow it."

"You keep saying that but why?" Malik asks before turning to the shadow stranger, "Who or what is in the cube?"

"Your worst fears and failures, wrapped in a smile." the strangers replies, with a hint of a smile to their voice.

"Pretty much." I agree.

"You can learn from you fears and failures." Malik says, a little to sure of himself, "You just have to face them."

"Not those ones." I say, trying to keep the memories dampened down where they belong.

"Everything you experience can teach. Some lessons you don't want but they teach none the less." Malik says, apparently wanting to give me a life lesson. "The more you face your fears the less you fear them."

"There is a difference between lessons and nightmares." the stranger says quietly, almost as if they were understanding what I had gone through.

I nod at the stranger.

"They are the same." Malik states.

"Not my nightmares." I announce, "There is no lesson from those besides RUN."

"You learn from the events, not the fear." the stranger says to Malik, "This is only the fear."

"Running is never the answer." Malik says, "You try slaughtering innocent men, women, and children in their homes. You torch their villages. All in the name of a demon. You run, you fail. Facing your fears builds strength."

I feel somewhat insulted that he can try and reason away my past and my fears.

"You are trained as a thief right after you are stolen from your family," I say in a flat tone, "You take anything the adults tell you to grab, and from whoever, even a poor person in the street can be a target. You train for years and on your assessment mission another person jeopardizes the mission and kills a child when we were never to kill or harm others. You become enrages and kill everyone on the team and then run because you can never go back. You have to run and can never stop."

"You have killed a killer and betrayed your supposed friends. I have followed orders and killed many killers and innocents. But that isn't who I am. I refuse to run." Malik says, not seeming to get my point.

The stranger steps forward into the light, pulling back her cloak as she does. Her face, for it is a she, is pale white and scuffed like a piece of old porcelain pottery.

"I'm not runnin'. I am on'y here following me orders." she says.

"And order's can be wrong. They can be biased and evil." Malik retorts, "No matter how right you think they are."

"Or from ones that understand where this is from and where it must be returned to." the stranger says.

"Take it. And destroy it." I say, hoping the stranger will do just that and leave with it.

"Then let us." Malik bargains, "Let me speak with them. Learn perhaps."

My eyes get wider, "Why in the world would you want to spend time near that thing?!"

"Because if it senses something I fear I should face it." he says, sure of himself once again.

"Some on'y care for their knowledge over sanity." the stranger says, "At's why we have monks in mountaintop monasteries pondering the void."

"I prefer to keep my sanity." I say.

"And yet some will dive into the void and grow." Malik responds.

"And they don't come back." I tell Malik.

"Pret'y sure 'is one's a monk..." the stranger says more to me than to both of us.

"That is why you are careful," Malik says, definitely not hearing what the stranger just said. "Being reckless is a sure fire way to die."

"Like opening a sealed wagon?" the stranger says with a small laugh.

"I knew that was coming." Malik says.

"Great. I get one of those to travel with." I say again more to the stranger than to Malik. "I was ready to leave it when my knives and claws couldn't open it."

"There was something living inside." Malik states, almost as if he was offended by my possibly leaving it be. "How could I let it stay trapped."

"Still just looks like a box to me." I shrug.

Malik sighs, frustration at loosing the discussion apparent.

"I'm noh sure how ye' think that, bu' there's nothin' living IN it. IT is alive." the stranger responds.

"In the wagon, I meant." Malik clarifies, "So the box is it's body in this plane?"

"I don't care what it is, long as it goes far away from me and anyone I care about." I state firmly.

"Yeah, 'ats its form here." the stranger replies to Malik. "How'rya seein' inside it if'n it was still sealed?"

"Inside every living being, every person, animal, and some plants there exists a spark. One that represents their life essence. I see a spark in that box, one I've never seen before." Malik tells the stranger.

"Wierdo." I comment.

"Every flame I've ever seen has had a color. Even that of angelic beings is the brightest of white. The one in the box is just colorless."

The stranger looks at Malik, almost with new eyes. "I've heard 'at afore. Never met someone 'at claimed 'ey could actually see a sole, but 'ere are wizards 'at can sense 'em."

"Most just think I'm crazy when I mention it." Malik says, almost happy that someone believes him.

I give them a confused look. I'm not quite sure about this talk of lights and souls but willing to keep listening in case I learn something useful.

"So what's in the box, or more so who's in the box." Malik asks the stranger.

"It's a nightmare."

"I'm going to need more than that."

"I don't know more of a way t' describe it. Iss like a nightmare made manifest as it passes onto this plane."

"Then take me to someone who can. If I agree with them then I won't have a problem with you destroying it. If not then I'm sure you will have the manpower to stop me from getting in your way."

seems to take an interest at this point and tentatively interjects into the conversation. "The dark markets would probably have someone from what ever weird plane this is from... There's vendors from every corner of reality there...also we could easily sell it there too...And we are going to Katapesh anyway, so..."

"We'll see about that." Malik says reservedly. "I'm more curious about the ones our shadowy friend here works for."

"Money is 'oo I work for." the stranger states.

"Then black market it is I suppose." Malik decides. "Was it you who picked off the guards or is there someone else vying for the cube for another reason?" he asks the stranger.

"What? You 'ink I'm gonna split money for a job wi' someone else?" the stranger says, affronted at the prospect.

"Less of a partnership more of someone with another interest." Malik clarifies, "but I guess you'd put a stop to them so you could complete your job."

"Gotta pick off the guards before ya' take the loot. on'y way to it. figured I could go in an' get the cube an' take all them traders at once. lucky break when you two came in all distractin' like and pulled t'e guards away an' then all those traders turnin' into jackals and ate tha' guy's face off...hoo mahn, 'at would'a been a nasty surprise ya' saved me from." the stranger says with a grin.

"The traders turned into jackals?" Malik says, surprised.

The stranger looks surprised as well, "Iss area is chock full of werejackals. 'iddn't ya know 'at?"

I nod, I had come across a few in my flight but hadn't gotten close enough to talk to any. After the attack I had noticed the tracks looked different and guessed the traders had changed during the fight.

"Obviously not. I figured they may have been demonic or shape shifters but not werejackals specifically." Malik responds.

"I mean, the' not like those werewolves ya' got up north. These aren't humans infected with like a disease 'at makes 'em go all wolfy at night. The werejackals 'ere are jackals 'at can take the form of 'umans at will." The stranger elaborates.

"Interesting," Malik says, nodding his head in understanding. "I was actually on a boat heading north when a storm crashed us and landed me at Bug Port. Don't ask me how though the river flows the other way, so I only barely know where I am."

"Must'a been a helluva storm ta' blow a ship clear up to Bug Port, but river does go right along the boarder and magic 'ere is all...wild..." The stranger trails off, rubbing the back of her hand as she does.

"Well the ship didn't make it, I just kinda woke up on the shore." Malik says, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Must be summat importan' it wants with ye' then."

"Could the box do this?"

"Nah, it on'y messes wi' ya 'ed." the stranger corrects, "Talkin' 'bout the whims of the magic south uv 'ere."

"Ah gotcha." Malik says, "Well I don't know about you but now that we aren't trying to kill each other I'm getting tired. I wont stop you from destroying the box, but if you are willing to wait till we at least know more about it I'd appreciate it. And maybe some of this cargo could make it worth your while?"

"It jus' might." the stranger nods.

"I'd leave the cargo part up to the trader here since it is his stuff in the first place." I say.

"Split four ways is still much better that the original twenty-way split." the trader says, ok with the idea.

"Ok, then I guess we are decided." I agree. "Long as you ware willing to go with us stranger."

"So what are your names so we can stop calling you stranger, and you trader." Malik asks the two.

"Ma name's Rhyie'aanus." says the stranger.

"And I'm Borun." says the trader.

"I can barely remember this cat-girl's name. How about Rhye? and Borun, I can remember that." Malik asks.

"Rhy and Borun. Good to meet you." I say to the two before turning to give a glare to Malik, "It's Senassori, dummy. Say-na-sore-ee."

"Sure." Rhyie'aanus says.

"Pleased to meet you officially." I say.

"Indeed." Malik agrees, "Now for sleep."

"I too vote sleep since I had my mind drug through nightmares and back I could use it." I say.

"And I've already had my watch. So Borun or Rhee. I think you are safe now Borun." Malik delegates.

"I can take next watch." Borun agrees, "And hey, at least my name is easy to say, unlike pretentious elf-name girl over here."

"Cool." Malik says, putting his things back into his pack.

I nod and retrieve my daggers from the dirt from where they had been knocked aside in the fight. I wipe the dirt off before sheathing them back into their respective holders.

"Whatever... but sleep works fa' me , so I'll take last watch." Rhyie'aanus says. "I could prolly also wrap 'at fing up in some o' that canvas from that wagon. got enchantments and stuff innit should keep it inside itself for te' time-bein'."

"Sure thing." Malik says.

"Please do." I say, relieved at the idea of the cube being kept under wraps. "Here's the knife that was able to cut the ropes."

Rhyie'aanus takes the knife from my proffered hand. "Thanks, missy."

Rhyie'aanus cuts a piece of the tarping off the wagon with the knife and wraps the cube up in it before laying down next to one of the wagons. As she does so, a tiny winged lizard deposits a strange weapon next to her and then curls up in her cloak.

I stare at the lizard before warily curling up next to Malik.

"Odd little creature, but I'm sure there are wierder here." Malik's voice trails off as he passes out.

I continue to watch the lizard. After a while I notice that it is a small drake, kind of like a hunting falcon but a lizard instead. I take a good look at the weapon it dropped but I have never seen its kind before. It is long with a handle at one end but no visible blade. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, thinking on all that I learned and saw this day.


	5. Learning More About Each Other

I feel the morning sun angle across the wagons to touch my fur. I uncurl from my ball and yawn, the sunlight making me unwilling to wake up. I slowly stretch each of my limbs to their limit, enjoying the slight pull of my muscles against the movement. The morning sun's angle casts the wagons' shadows long across the camp. Memories of last night drift through my head as I notice the ground around me. The blood from the fighting has dried with the dew under the dry sunshine, leaving the dirt with a rusty hue.

My morning reverie is broken as I hear a muffled voice behind me.

"What the heck?!" Malik says, his voice muffled by fur.

I flick my tail away from his face. I had unknowingly rested it there while I was enjoying the rays of the morning sun. Malik sits up, hacking some more as he tries to remove the hairs he unwantingly ingested.

"Wel'ome back t' the land of the living, Malik." Rhyie'aanus says from her seat next to a dying fire.

I give a purring chuckle.

"I cooked us some breakfast. It's a bit cold now, but you're welcome to some." Borun says, proffering me a plate of some sort of food he cooked up.

"Cold food is still food." I say, taking the plate.

"Indeed." Malik agrees as he sits beside me "So where is this market you mentioned, Borun?"

"It's in the city of Katapesh." Borun answers him.

I lick my plate clean and hand it back to Borun to be put away. "That's a good ways from here." I say.

I begin to groom out my fur, listening to the conversation continue as I remove dust and debris.

"You can buy anything there;" Borun states, an absent look on his face as he remembers travels past. "Even illegal things and things from other dimensions. It's well worth the travel; It's why our caravan was travelling from Bug Harbor to sell our pesh."

I begin to remove several burrs from where they had lodged themselves in my tail. "I saw the pesh barrels. What kind is it?" I ask Borun.

"Refined, ready to be used." "Ah." I say as I flick one of the burrs at Malik's head. _I don't think he's telling me the truth. Refined pesh doesn't feel right._

"Are all eight barrels full of it?" I ask him, with a sideways glance.

"Yes... they're all full." He responds with a slightly concerned look.

"Hmmm..." I look out of the corner of my eye at Borun.

_For now I shall wait and see how it goes before we get to Katapesh. But I don't think he's telling me the truth._

"The road shouldn't give us many woes." Borun continues.

I look up from finishing the grooming of my tail, "It seems to have given you nothing but woes so far."

"Until my comrades tried to eat me, the road was treating me well. The only ones that had any troubles were the sellswords guarding the caravan, and they were...hired to that position."

"Did you pick them all up in Bug Harbor when the caravan started?" I say as I pull my notebook and pencil out of my pack and write casually.

"Yes, they were all hired as we started the journey. We wouldn't want to risk travelling as an unarmed caravan; that'd just be asking for Gnoll to raid us. They don't tend to raid guarded caravans"

"But none of them had a clue as to what they were guarding or the possible risk involved." I say as I continue writing. "Poor souls."

I flick another burr at Malik's head, but he doesn't seem to notice. My failure to hit him adaquetly makes my tail twitch in slight annoyance.

"They knew it was a pesh caravan. They aren't payed to ask questions, and it isn't terribly uncommon for there to be a wagon or two with unknown cargo. As I said, they're sellswords, not paladins. They don't care if there's a wagon containing a lost heiress that needs safe passage or even something like this cube. They only care for the money."

"True, but only idiots sign up for something without knowing more details. That or a desperate person." I shut my notebook and put it and the pencil away.

"Some see turning down good money as the only truly stupid action. Different folks have different morals; you only need to find out what a person wants so you can sell them to yourself"

I nod in understanding as I stand up and stretch, arching my back and shaking out my limbs.

"At's why I on'y follow o'ders. Don't have to worry 'bout pesky things li' morals." Rhyie'aanus chimes in.

"Some morals are useful." I say as I pick up my journal to put it back in my bag. "If people don't set certain lines that they won't cross, then they are no better than beasts. Loose morals are better than none."

"At's a fine thing to say when ya still got a face, but wus the purpose of a face if'n ya on'y use it to look for'ard. Cube's like 'at don't get some'un shook like 'at 'less'n ere's some'at behind ya 'at you don't want to be ere." Rhyie'aanus counters.

I give her a look but don't say anything. I walk back to where we slept and pack up the rest of my stuff from the sleeping area. In walking back to the fire, I stop just behind Malik and flick his ear with my tail, trying to tickle it.

Malik jumps with a start "OH! Oh... So, I get that the yeah is expensive but how much were you planning on getting for the cube?

"Back on the earth are ya?" I tell him as I walk back to my spot.

"I wasn't the one with the bright idea to sell the cube when we found it, and he's dead now, but I do know the contact in the market who's interested. It's a vendor from another plane, evidently its super useful there." Borun replies.

"How'd you find it?" Malik asks Borun.

"Great, making deals with aliens." I say, not completely surprised.

"We found it in our... crop, just sitting there." Borun tells Malik before turning to me, "Obviously you've never been to the markets in Katapesh"

"I haven't." Malik says, "I'm not even supposed to be in this country but hey I'm not complaining about that."

"I've 'eard of 'at place. Lo'ss of weird stuff." Rhyie'aanus chimes in.

"I was supposed to be heading there from Osirion," I say, "but I was lied to by some scheming rat who told me to follow the mountains for the quickest path. Luckily I took his purse before I left."

"And look at you now with a wagon full of pesh." Malik says, spreading his arms wide to indicate the wagons behind us.

"Couldn't think of a better place to be." Borun says with a smile.

"I could but for me that place no longer exists." I say with a frowm, "So I guess this works."

"Interesting." Borun says, almost too quietly to hear.

"Ere's more of 'at face-lookin'-behin'-ya thin'." Rhyie'aanus says with an understanding yet small smile.

"Faces behind keep me going forwards. Like this caravan should probably get moving forward." I say.

Malik gets up as well and stretches "Indeed."

"Good point, we should unstake the wagons and get moving, already used a lot of daylight sleeping." Borun replies.

"Blame our friend here for last night's excitement." Malik says as he begins prepping the wagons to leave.

"Last I checked you were the last one still asleep." I say to Malik.

"Not my fault 'is girl's first reaction was to scream an' start throwing knives and crap." Rhyie'aanus says sassily.

I look over at Rhyie'aanus, a little annoyed. "One, I'm not his girl. Two, what else do you do when you see a stranger nearby when you are on watch? I used my weapons and then alerted the camp."

"Othu' way arount, but I gettcha point." Rhyie'aanus says.

"Also, you kinda threw those in my general direction and could have missed... Bad." Malik says over his shoulder.

"But I didn't so…" I say as I stick my tongue out at him.

Rhyie'aanus points at Malik, "'ight? Coulda' hit 'im instead. Good fing I'm su good at blocking knives."

"Or in your desire to not get knifed they could have been deflected at me." Malik points out to Rhyie'aanus.

"Then you would be dead and I'd get a third of the loot instead of a fourth." I tell Malik

"Now that's the way to think of things." Borun says with a laugh.

"Yeah shut up... Both of you." Malik says, "I saved your life once, don't make me regret that."

I stick my tongue out again and bundle up my stuff into the provision cart.

"I'm fine wi' my stuff tu myself" Rhyie'aanus says as she puts her stuff and weapon in her pack and the drake slithers inside after it

"That weapon..." Malik says almost to himself, "You're not a caster. Magic bullets. You must be some Merc"

"Says you." Rhyie'aanus replies, "Nah, money doesn't pay my time, King 'n country and all that."

Rhyie'aanus throws a small snowball at Malik, having produced it from thin air.

I laugh so hard I almost fall over.

"So, if it's not money your loyal to, who do you follow? And why take us up on the cube?"

"Ideals." is all Rhyie'aanus states.

"How has that worked for you in the past?" I ask as I go over to the oxen and check that they are watered and are ready to be attached to the wagons.

"Wehll, been workin' out pretty well, aside from a sligh' mishap, and 'at was fully ma faul'." She replies.

"What happened?" I ask her, curious.

" 'Ow mush d'you know 'bout the land just south of the river 'long the border?"

"Not a whole lot. I know it is a land not made for the living where the foul beasts and things reign."

"Sorry, should prolly clarify as iss river splits not too far from 'ere we are and ends up at two dif'rent borders. I'm talkin' 'bout the border 'tween Nex and Geb, not Katapesh and Nex."

"Then I know even less about that besides there was a war there."

"You know what 'at war did to the area?"

"I'd wager it scarred it beyond recognition."

"You have no idea." Malik interjects.

"Physically, no' so much." Rhyie'aanus responds. "Time has 'ealed those wounds. magically... 'ats why they call it the mana wastes. And 'ats where the 214 went. Long story short, we were tracking down a caravan travelling fru the area: 'ey 'ad summat important, see. So, we're trying to catch up wiff 'em but raiders hit just affor we found 'em. In the struggle, tried to save a chap, but instead of killing 'is attacker, my magic ended up fusing me wif a small child's doll an 'ass why I ain't got no face no more, an juss got 'iss porcelain instead of me skin. Magics wild down 'ere."

I bow my head slightly. "I am sorry."

"Yes, my superiors were interested in the magic of the region before they found out it couldn't be moved or controlled." Malik adds in.

"Iss no' so bad. makes me pretty good at deflecting knives" Rhyie'aanus says and winks at me.

"Wouldn't the porcelain shatter instead of deflecting the knives or have you reinforced it somehow?" Malik asks Rhyie'aanus curiously.

"I had wondered why my blades hadn't stuck." I said.

"Magic did 'at. Direct blows'll crack it, but simple repair spells'll get me right as rain." Rhyie'aanus says with a grin.

"So enough direct blows could do some damage, but they would have to be in very quick succession." I ask.

"Well, I'm no' an infinite pool of mana." Rhyie'aanus says with a laugh, "An' the more damage, the longer it takes to fix. But glancing blows frum a throwin' knife, 'at juss leaves a scratch."

I nod as everyone goes to the wagons and we all climb up into the caravan. The wheels begin turning as Borun directs the oxen onto the road.


	6. Behold A Man

As the caravan rolls under the sky I amuse myself looking around at the passing landscape. I see the waving fronds of sparse vegetation wave ever onward away from the caravan in an eternal march to ends only the gods of the plains know of. The sun glows downward from its perch atop the few clouds that dare to fly across the blue sky. Ahead of us in the road the tracks of jackals cross from several hours ago, pursuing prey long dead. I look back at our caravan as we go. The eight oxen are easily pulling the two wagons that are hooked together. Borun sits up in the seat of the first wagon driving the oxen. There is gold and provisions in this wagon. Enough to feed all of the traders and guards they had for the long trip across Katapesh. The second wagon is full of the barrels of pesh that Borun seems content to lie about.

We crest a hill and a gust of wind blows some sand into my face. I rub the sand out and am surprised to see a naked man standing running towards the caravan from a campfire at the mouth of a nearby gorge. I stare at the man with open eyes. _I've never seen a naked man before…what's that…_

"Ummm. What is he doing?" Malik says as he reaches over and covers my eyes with his hands.

"He's isn't wearing anything...is that seriously how men look?" I ask, trying to brush away Malik's hands.

"In my exper'ence, pretty much." Rhyie'aanus says.

"I schmell me some of that there pesh." I hear a strange voice say, probably the naked man.

"Oh boy. Could be a druggy or maybe one of those where jackal things." Malik says, still managing to keep my eyes covered somehow.

"How does he smell pesh at that distance and trough the barrels?!" Borun asks surprised.

"Were-jackal nose?" Malik suggests.

"I don't know." Borun responds.

"Get your hand off my face, I wanna see." I say to Malik, still trying to pull his hands off.

"Nope, no need for that." Malik says.

"Let the girly experience the wonders of... a naked man...? Not sure 'ere I was going with 'at." Rhyie'aanus says.

I lick Malik's hand in an attempt to get him to let go.

Malik manages to keep his hand firmly in place over my eyes, "You would really call... that, a wonder?"

I try to tickle Malik but that still has no affect on his hands over my face.

"Seen better, but iss not bad." Rhyie'aanus says after a short appraisal.

I give up trying to get Malik's hands away and try to duck under his hands.

I manage to break free from Malik's guarding hand.

"We are going to have to try and deal with him. He can move faster than we can." Malik says.

"Or let me chase him." I suggest hopeful.

"I don't know," Rhyie'aanus says, "'E's stopped and he's licking on the oxen."

"I do not understand men." I say as I watch him do the weird things as Borun stops the wagons.

"Well, not ALL of them are crazy naked guys in the middle of the road." Rhyie'aanus comments with emphasis on all.

"In the middle of a Savannah..." Malik says, trailing off.

"Is he just high or actually crazy?" I say, curiosity peaking my interest.

"I've seen people high on pesh." Borun recollects, "This one looks like he's crazy from lack of it"

"Withdrawals then... I almost feel bad for him but not bad enough." Malik says with a hint of sadness.

"Not bad enough for what?" Rhyie'aanus asks Malik.

"To give him some or to put him out of his misery." He responds.

"Or we can keep going and see if he follows." I suggest.

"we can try but I'm sure he will." Malik says, watching the man move to lick a different ox.

"Ooooooo, 'at could be fun, though. See how long 'ee can go." Rhyie'aanus says with a grin.

"It's only midday so we have several hours left to travel. If he follows until we stop without getting water, he can have a dose." Malik says.

"Are we sure about that?" Borun says, concerned.

"Think he'll last that long?" Malik asks Borun. "Also, I'm just throwing out an idea. We could just drop him where he stands too, would likely be a mercy."

"No sport in 'at." Rhyie'aanus says, disappointed. "And if we get attacked, 'ee could be like an early warnin' system thing."

"He could be useful and entertaining." I say, as I continue to watch him with a sort of fascination.

Malik digs around in the provision wagon looking for something. I pull a small ball out of my pack and gently throw it at the guy. I miss him but I hit the oxen he was licking. He seems to be distracted from the oxen and is staring directly at me.

I kinda wave at him, not sure of what else to do. The man stares at me in return. I happily join the staring contest, unblinking.

Look not to the crow that flies south. The dog in the desert speaks only lies because only lies are told there. Blue fire is found within the heart of the man who takes the kittens." The man says in a flat voice.

I cock my head to the side, still not blinking. "What?"

The man turns into a jackal and runs off.

"FUCKING CALLED IT!" Malik yells.

"So that wasn't an actual man." I say to Rhyie'aanus, kinda sad and confused.

"Ok... What was it that it just said? I wasn't really expecting him to say something that may have been important." Malik asks me.

"Look not to the crow that flies south. The dog in the desert speaks only lies because only lies are told there. Blue fire is found within the heart of the man who takes the kittens." I repeat back. "So, a warning against going south, the desert lies to us and something about the people who steal kittens."

"He said not to listen to the dog which may mean him because jackals are dogs yes?" Malik tries to reason.

"There is a very well-known pair of statues in the desert, one of them is a dog." Borun says.

"Or a person from the desert, a dog is a slur for any moral-less man." I input, "Or a statue."

"And Gnolls." Borun adds to the list.

"Hmmm. So, what we do now." I say.

"Keep going?" Malik suggests.

The Katapesh city isn't south of here right." I ask Borun.

"Forget a crazy werejackal and continue to Katapesh" Rhyie'aanus says, "Not follow birds to weird dogs."

"Ok." I agree.

"Sounds like we agree." Malik says and points forward "Tally ho!"

"Tally what?" I say, confused.

Malik sighs with a disappointed look, "Nevermind."

I look at him confused but then turn my eyes to the road ahead as the wagons roll onward under the hot sun.


	7. Demons and Things

Our wagons continue rolling under the hot sun. We make good progress as the road is smooth and flat here. I pull out a waterskin and drink deeply, trying to push away the affects of the hot sun overhead. Everyone has lapsed into their own thoughts besides Borun who continues to guide the oxen whenever needed. As we go through a small bend in the road a figure appears through the haze of the desert-like wastes north of the road. It appears to be trundling towards the caravan. Borun pulls the oxen to a halt as it nears.

It has the head of a horse skull, and what I had believed to be a long black cloak appears to actually be a pair of great, withering wings that it drags along behind it. As it nears the caravan I duck down into the wagon, only my eyes peering over the sides at it. Malik seems to see it as well as he kneels down into a ready position, facing the creature.

"Guys, do you see that?" he calls out, pointing at the creature.

"Aye, I see'it." Rhyie'aanus says.

"What is it?" Malik asks, still looking at the creature as it draws nearer.

"Yes I see it," I say, "and I don't like it."

"This another one of your weird desert beasts?" Malik asks Borun.

"Never seen anything like it before..." Borun trails off

"I've never seen it either." I chime in.

The creature draws nearer. From my peeping over the side of the wagon I start to get a better view of it. With it's closer proximity I can see that the horse skull above it's neck is not a mask but is it's actural true head. Though the thing stands on two legs, it's feet resemble the hooves of a horse, almost as if it is the result of a horrible splicing of a vulture and the horse carcass on which it was feeding. As it draws nearer I begin to shake with fear.

"Rhee, shoot something at it!" I call out.

A voice suddenly echoes in my head, "I have seen many travel this road, but never such a claptrap group as you five."

I squeak and hide behind Malik. My fur is fluffed up now and I peak at it from Malik's side. Suddenly the fourteen-foot-tall creature falls to the ground in a clumsy heap, slumping suddenly onto the rocky soil. I peer out a little farther with ears perked, looking towards the creature.

"Is it dead?" I ask.

"Do we kill it while it's down?" Malik responds.

"Maybe iss jus' playing dead." Rhyie'aanus cautions.

"Maybe we should throw like a rock or something?" Borun suggests.

"It said it's travelled this road a lot. Any myths about this road and a creature like this?" Malik poses to Borun.

"Let's chat about that later." I call out, "Hit it with something!"

"Many myths and legends, but this...this is new." Borun admits.

"It said five, there are only the 4 of us. If it reached out to the cube it may be under the same effect that you were Senassori. In which case it may be down for a while." Malik reasons.

"Then let's get out of here and far away before it comes to." I say.

"Maybe...maybe we could tie it up and sell it!" Borun says, a little too excited.

"It may follow..." Malik starts to say before turning to Borun, "That is a stupid idea."

"Oh hell no." I say firmly, "How do you know it won't get free and be pissed at us?!"

"We use A LOT of rope." Borun states.

"What if it can easily escape rope? It freaking mentally talked to us! It could be magic like the cube!" I reiterate.

"Hey, money is money." Borun replies.

"Then you get to watch it in a different wagon." I say, not wanting to be anywhere near that thing.

"Could use more of the magic tarp." Malik suggests.

"So you're okay wiff us keepin' the creepy bir' man as a cap'ive as long as iss in a nearby wagon, jus' no' your wagon?!" Rhyie'aanus says to me.

"Cause he will be the first to die and we tell the thing that it was his idea." I respond.

"... That... Might work. Or we could just leave." Malik suggests.

"Or we cou' juss kill it, THEN sell it." Rhyie'aanus counters.

"Truth." I say, liking that plan.

"Think we could without waking it?" Malik asks.

"I mi' be able to 'elp with 'at." Rhyie'aanus says with a slight smile.

"Shoot it." I say, encouraging this plan.

Rhyie'aanus reaches down into the midst of all of the supplies in the wagon and pulls her weapon out of her backpack.

"Wait." Malik says quickly, "Let me get near it, and after I hit don't miss."

I give him a thumbs up, even though I know I won't be any help with this plan.

Malik gets out of wagon and slowly makes his way over to the beast. The beast hasn't moved at all in the time we have spent talking. Malik readies himself and then punches the creature in its head. A slight zap of electric energy glows where Malik's hand touches the creatures head. The creature shudders under the impact and then it becomes even more limp than previously.

"Well now what?" I ask, glad the creature is now dead.

"Ok Borun, load it up. I did my part..." Malik says, somewhat visibly shaken by his encounter.

Borun, with great difficulty, drags the body over to the wagon . As he comes alongside the caraven he holds up an object, "Anybody want this?"

The object in question is a large composite crossbow. The arms are inscribed with ornate caurvings depicting various demonic scenes and runes. Borun just manages to lift the bow due to its extremely large size as it would have functioned as a normal crossbow for the now dead fourteen-foot-tall creature.

"That's like as big as me." I say, a little in awe at its size.

"You could man it as a ballistae." Malik suggests.

"I'd have to brace it with my feet to even notch the bolt." I respond.

" 'At'd be prett'y funny to watch!" Rhyie'aanus says with a grin.

I stick my tongue out at her.

"Juss like 'at kid, juss like 'at." She laughs.

"So. Do we wanna skin it or try to find a way to transport this corpse that looks like it was rotting while it was still alive?" Borun asks.

"Well if anyone should skin it it's probably me." Malik says with a slight sigh.

"I dunno. What would be more valuable and easier to sell?" I ask.

"Truth." Malik says, "Taxidermy it or only save the hide. Though taxidermy is not one of my skills."

"Don't look at me." I respond, really not wanting to get anywhere near the thing.

"Taxidermy if we could." Borun states, "But on the road like this, curing the hide with the, uh, pesh would probably be our best bet."

"But would it be worth more than the pesh we use?" I ask, wanting to not loose money just because of a weird idea.

"An oddity like that?" Borus says, "Nah, the hide is worth more.

Malik takes a moment to look up at the sky, gauging the time of day. "Do we want to pause here while I work or wait till we make camp tonight for me to butcher it?"

"We cou'd stop 'ere if we like." Rhyie'aanus suggests, "In this endless savanah, s'not like farther up the road is gonna be much of a better camping spot. But, then again, we'd be on th' road for forever if we're allus stopping."

"Exactly, it would be good to make as much ground as possible." Malik agrees with her.

"So then, does anyone want to help me lift this godforsaken thing into the pesh wagon?" Borun queries.

"Sure." Malik says as he moves over next to Borun.

"I'm no help there." I say, not moving from my spot in the provisions wagon.

Between the two of them, they manage to lift the carcass into the wagon containing the pesh barrels. As the body hits the floor with a thud, a noxious odor wafts up. The carcass smells like a dead animal, having suffered a great sickness before mercifully dying.

"I am not going near that." I say, putting a paw over my nose.

"If we can find water tonight it would be great, because I'm going to need a bath after skinning this thing." Malik states.

"Uh huh." I nod my head in agreement.

"The road is littered with small pools where rain water collects, we could stop at the next one." Borun suggests.

Malik climbs back up into the wagon. "That would be great. Make a little more progress and ensure I don't smell like this thing for the next age."

" 'At fing makes me wish I'd som'how lost me sense of smell along with my face." Rhyie'aanus says, making a face.

"Hopefully any wind is against us." Malik says, checking the air.

"If not, I'm walking." I say,

Just then a breeze does happen to kick up, blowing the scent of the dead demon up the caravan. I get out of the wagon and move behind the caravan, my nose wrinkled up so much the whiskers point in every direction.

"We could move the carcass to the middle wagon and sit in the back one." Malik suggests, holding his nose.

"No matter what, I'm still going to be sitting in that stench, so I don't care where you move it, just not into the supply wagon. I don't want it soaking into our food." Borun says through a cloth he has over his nose.

Malik instead adjusts himself to sit in the back of the middle wagon so that the carcass is just downwind of his person. The caravan trundles along until dusk when Borun stops the caravan at a suitable campsite. I hop out of the caravan and move around the area gathering materials for a fire and find a place to build a fire that won't set the entire wild ablaze. Malik pulls the carcass out of the wagon and sets to skinning it's hide away from the body. I notice that he also starts parting out some of the muscle into what looks like portions for eating.

"Are you seriously going to cook that?" I say to Malik.

"I 'ope you cook 'at REAL good, 'cause I don't want to die from a disease." Rhyie'aanus calls out from her lounging by the wagons.

"I don't intend on anyone eating it but as... diverse as Borun makes the market in Katapesh sound someone may want it." Malik says as he pauses for a moment from his butchering.

"That's just nasty." I say, watching as he finishes up.

As I watch, Malik turns from the bloody mess in front of him and sneezes off to the side. A fine red mist colors the air as his sneeze shoots blood out from his nose.

"Dude that's gross." I say, stepping back from him. "And that's what you get for butchering a demon."

"Well then. I've had worse". Malik says as he finishes his work and goes off to wash off in the pond. He calls out as he walks towards the small pond, "Come get your water before I taint it with that demon's filth!"

"Now I'm DEFINITELY no' eating that." Rhyie'aanus says.

I run and grab the few water skins we have depleted and hurry to fill them.

"You better not put that near the real food." I say as I place the waterskins into the provisions wagon and wrinkle my nose at the pile of jerky Malik has set out to dry. The skin smells like the pesh Malik rubbed all over it, but the jerky is beginning to lose it's scent.

"It's going in the empty wagon." Malik calls out from the pond.

I hear Borun call out something along the lines of "Good." as my attention is taken by Malik stripping down by the water. He's stripped down to his undergarments and entered the pool of water. I'm slightly intrigued by this man, but then I notice that he has marks all over his body. Scars from cuts and stitching together of cuts that didn't heal quite right. I stare at him as he washes, watching the scars that crisscross his body move and he cleans the guts and gore from himself.

A rustling from a nearby grove of bushes grabs my attention away from Malik as a creature appears. It is a bird-like thing. Mostly head with very little discernable body that is running on four scaly bird legs. I can't see any wings like a normal bird would have. A hooked beak dominates its face and a thin trail of black vapor leaks out of its beak.

I don't move as it makes it way over to the pile of unused demon remains. It seems to be ignoring us, so I let the thing have the carcass and tilt my head as I return to observing Malik's scars and almost naked body.

"Would you stop staring." Malik calls out, noticing the attention I am paying him, "Just make sure that thing leaves the jerky and hide alone."

"I think it's just attracted to the smell of dead thing." I say without breaking my gaze.

"Juss like yore attrac'ed to the sight of an alive thing." Rhyie'aanus says with a chuckle.

"Hey, not my fault my mind is curious about something I haven't seen much before." I reply.

I glance over at the bird-head-thing to see it is now eating the rotting corpse of the demon. "I think he's just hungry though, but I'd have to be like a whisker from dead before I'd touch that." I tell Malik.

"Well demons eat demons all the time." Malik calls out.

"But I don't necessarily want to be around when they do." Borun says, gathering supplies to cook the rest of us some edible food.

"Did anyone prepare actual food?" Malik asks as he comes out of the pool and dresses himself before moving the hide and jerky into the wagon with the cube in it.

"I can cook something as long as you make sure the bird thing doesn't attack me." Borun says, as he approaches the fire.

"I'll keep it off you Borun. It may just run away after finishing off the demon scraps." Malik says as he approaches the now built fire and positions himself between Borun and the bird.

Malik finds some small scraps of clots and tears them a bit smaller. He then shoves these plugs of fabric up each nostril, trying to keep the blood from pouring down his face.

"Good thing I don't have a knose anymore; you look stupid!" Rhyie'aanus says with another laugh.

I join her in laugher as I allow myself to lounge by the fire against my backpack.

"It happens." Malik replies, keeping an eye on the bird as it continues eating.

While I wait for food to be ready I pull my journal and pen out of my pack and begin to write by the light of the fire as it grows darker.

"Whatchu puttin' in 'ere, girly?" Rhyie'aanus asks, noticing my activity.

I am quiet as I continue to write before pausing and looking at her. "This is one of the few things I would kill someone for if they took it. I was given this journal by...a friend when they were teaching me how to write. I've kept it ever since and write in it about my day or to figure out something I am stuck on. It helps me to clear up my thoughts. It's one of the few item I took when I...left."

"Left? Like left home? You're a sight far from the jungles and woods west of 'ere." Rhyie'aanus asks.

"For me that is not my home." I respond, pausing in my writing, "I was taken from my family when I was a cub of only about three winters. I was to be sold in Osirion but was stolen from my captors by Master Nessori and was taken to Korvosa."

"Korvosa you say? That's home for me. Been ages since I've been there." Malik pipes up.

"It was my home for over ten years, but now I don't think I can ever go back." I say, giving a sigh at the acceptance of that fact.

" 'As not too far from Nidal where ai grew up." Rhyie'aanus adds.

"Hmmm." I hum.

"Small town ou'side of Nisroch. Iss where I go' recruited ou' of." Rhyie'aanus says, "Lots o' people 'ere are pretty good at... retrieving people."

"Stealing more like." I comment.

"Whell, you're not wrong...but now I been using those talents to move people 'at wanna be moved but can't do it safely 'emselves." She says.

"Ah. So you are a smuggler or sorts? Slash escort." I decide.

"Escort means... Uh, something else." Malik stammers

"What do you mean. She's helping to move the somewhere safely. So she's an escort..?" I say, confused.

"Escorts provide company and pleasure to those willing to pay." Malik says, a slight redness coloring his cheeks.

"Iss no' exac'ly a smuggler as iss a gov'ment sanctioned employ." Rhyie'aanus corrects.

I look at Malik with wide eyes. "People pay for that?"

"There are some people who make up for their loneliness with money." He says with a slight shrug. "And booze, often times lots and lots of booze."

"What is booze?" I say, pronouncing the word slowly.

Rhyie'aanus says something under her breath in a strange language that I don't recognize. My ears twitch as I look at her funny.

Malik chuckles, apparently having understood whatever Rhyie'aanus said, "Wonderful."

I look over at the two of them, slightly confused.

"Alcohol girly. Alcohol." Malik says with a huff.

"Oh." I say, somewhat understanding, but still perplexed.

"Folks in this country tend to pair that stuff with pesh more than alcohol." Borun chimes in.

"Well this area revolves around pesh so that isn't surprising." I say.

"Fair." Malik says in agreement.

"Food's ready!" Borun states, finishing stirring something he's made.

"Awesome!" I pull out a plate and am ready to receive food.

As Borun puts warm food on my plate I look over towards the bird. It has finished its meal of dead demon and has curled up inside of the remains of the corpse. Its sides move up and down as it sleeps, seemingly content with itself.

"How can it sleep there?" I ask, beginning to eat my own real person food.

"Maybe it's warm in there?" Borun suggests, handing Malik a plate of food.

"True. It's only a few hours dead so it would still be warm." I agree.

"It's demonic in nature too, but... it's not natural." Malik says after swallowing down a mouthful.

"Demons aren't natural." I comment.

"In a manner of thinking." Rhyie'aanus says as she is handed her own plate.

"Even as far as demons go. That thing shouldn't exist." Malik says, wiping up the remains of his plate with a piece of bread.

"I've'heard of somat like t'at, but those demons are 'uge, like 14 feet tall. That fing isn't'even 2 feet tall." Rhyie'aanus adds.

"Is it a young one?" I venture.

"Demons don't 'ave young in the same way we do. And besides, iss fing doesn't look smarter than an average vulture or rok." She answers.

"I think we should just leave it alone but keep an eye on it." I suggest.

"It's not as big of a deal as the demon but I agree." Malik states.

"Sounds good to me." Rhyie'aanus confirms.

"So, who wants first watch?" I say, cleaning up my plate.

"... it just bothers me. It seems fabricated somehow." Malik says, watching the bird head sleep.

"And that's why we keep an eye on it." I reply.

"I don't care, as long as it doesn't try to eat me or something." Borun says.

"I'll take first watch again." Malik tells me.

I nod in agreement before pulling out my backpack for a pillow. Curling up near the warmth of the fire my ears twitch as I listen to the sounds of the night.


	8. Electric Encounters

I float in darkness, comfortably nestled in its embrace. I feel something touch my shoulder. I ignore it and curl up tighter, ignoring the intrusion to my person. The touch gets firmer on my shoulder and I swing my tail in the general direction. My actions apparently work as the touch leaves me and I continue my happy slumber.

An unknown amount of time later I am once again disturbed from my rest, this time enough to pull me out of my sleep to the waking world. I look up and see Borun standing over me with a cup in his hand.

"Hey, wake up. It's early morning! And if you don't, Rhyie'aanus gave me this cup of what looks like water to pour on you if you don't." He says.

I give a half-awake glare and mumble, "Dump it on me and you will regret it."

I put my head back down on my backpack, willing my body to fall back asleep.

Suddenly a jolt of electricity runs through my body. I let out a yowl and thrash around, cursing and yelling as I do.

"Wasn't me... I still have this full cup of water..." I hear Borun say, over the din I am making. "Weird... Well, if you're awake now, I'll probably catch some sleep. Oh, and Rhyie'aanus told me that Malik told her that there's some sort of 'hyena-thing' over there a few hills away to the north. Not sure if he's talking about a Gnoll or a Jackal-were or what..."

I mutter to myself in a quiet not so quiet voice, "Just what I needed. Shocks and critters."

Off across the camp I hear Malik stir, a slight smile on his face. "What are you smiling about!?" I spit at him, not in a pleasant mood.

He doesn't respond to my comment apparently trying to appear as if he is still asleep. I give myself a shake and take a lap around the campsite, looking for any annoying persons. On my second pass I look towards where Borun pointed, fur still standing on end from annoyance and the jolt. I see nothing in that direction, so I turn my attention back into the camp. I see Rhyie'aanus drake sitting near her slumbering form. It chitters at me in what can only be viewed as a chastisement. I hiss at it and tell it to mind it's own business in my native tongue. It seems to at least understand my intent as it slithers away quietly back into Rhyie'aanus' backpack. I give it a satisfied nod and look once again towards the hill Borun pointed out, hoping a different angle will give me a more useful view.

I can now make out smoke drifting upwards from a dying campfire. It's smoky form casting a winding silhouette against the slowly breaking dawn sky. It seems to be around 100 yards from our present campsite, far enough away to not immediately cause concern but close enough to merit investigation. I continue to make laps, growing slowly larger as I make each pass.

As dawn breaks over the horizon I return to the fire and stoke it enough for us to cook upon it. I walk over to Rhyie'aanus and stick the tip of my tail into her ear.

"Wakey wakey. Annoying lady." I say, giving my tail a twitch.

She awakes annoyingly easily, without even a bleary eyed look.

"Why you doin' 'at for?" She protests, then gives a smile, "Mad at my cup 'o water?"

I ignore her comment and bend down to pick up a few small stones. I flick a few of them at Malik's head.

"It's time to get up. And no I don't appreciate that electric jolt I got earlier." I say as I pelt him with another rock, "My fur isn't going to lay flat for ages."

Rhyie'aanus give me a quizzical look, "What? Oh, 'at wasn' from a cup of water." She says, her face lighting up in a happy realization, "Must've gotten me boi annoyed atcha for summat."

"You mean that annoying chittering lizard." I reply.

"Ee's no' a lizard!" She says in protest, "...But annoying and chitterin' ee might be."

"He's still a lizard."

"Lizards got more legs 'an ee 'as."

I walk back over to the fire and try to groom my fur which is still bristling on end, "A snake is still a lizard."

"An he's got wings. Ee's no' a snake, neither. Snake's got NO legs."

I pull my tongue across my hand and swipe it around my face. "Then he's a lizard and a snake smashed together."

"And what does yore fine, intuitive zoolog'cal mind make of 'is wings?"

"He ate a bird what didn't agree with him." I say in a sarcastic voice.

"And 'is ability to summon one of the elements?"

"Magic bird."

"Like 'at one over there?" she says with a laugh, pointing to the still sleeping thing nesting in the demon corpse.

"Sure. But he's a bad magic bird."

"Bad? All iss done is eat food left out t'rot like a vulture. No' like iss stealing yore food."

"It is not natural to eat that kind of crap. Ergo bad bird."

"Do you no' trust it?"

"If it leaves me alone I'll trust it to behave itself. But once that carcass is gone what will it do then?"

"Who knows? 'Ats the fun in life!"

"Fun only if you aren't the target."

"Nah, 'en iss even more fun."

I continue attempting to tame my fur but as I do so I am apparently only making it worse. "Then I'll yell at it to chase you first."

"Sounds good to me."

Malik stirs and gives a large stretch before sitting up. "What are y'all arguing about?"

"You're finally awake." I say, still annoyed.

"...zoology." Rhyie'aanus ventures.

"Debating the attributes of her critter." I correct.

"It's a drake? What more is there to debate?" Malik says, rubbing his eyes.

"Right?!" Rhyie'aanus says, giving me a smile, happy with herself.

"Not quite as useful or dangerous as its bigger counterparts but useful and dangerous in its own right." Malik says as he gets up and roll up his bedroll.

"It's still an annoying lizard." I retort.

"Only annoying because som'on decided no t'wake up when she was supposed to and ticked 'im off." Rhyie'aanus says defensively.

"Shoulda tried harder." I say.

"So the commotion earlier wasn't ice water?" Malik says, slightly confused.

I pause in my grooming and give Malik a look, "So it was your idea to soak me."

"Oh, I had ice water." Borun says as he moves around the camp, having woken up at some point in our discussion.

"That's what you get for not waking up. You had the water? ... " Malik says, pointing at Rhyie'aanus and begins to bust up laughing "So you gave him the water so you wouldn't be the one to soak the cat. Talk about getting out of the line of fire."

"I hate you all." I say, giving up on taming my fur.

"Right? tactical thinking!" Rhyie'aanus says, her smile seeming to only grow bigger.

"I was just following orders..." Borun says sheepishly, "And for what it's worth, I didn't dump ice water on you..."

"No you didn't but you were going to." I retort before turning to Malik, "By the way, your jackal thing is still over yonder."

Malik is still laughing his head off, "Well it was either water or apparently electric shock."

He seems to 'sober' up a little with a final sigh, "I'm curious about that hyena thing. Anyone else want to check it out? It's not a werejackal."

"So, like…Gnoll?" Borun says, and then realizes we give him blank stares, "Oh, right. You're not from around here... wouldn't know what those are."

"Yup." Malik confirms.

"Children of the Mountain Godess." Borun states, apparently thinking that would make it clearer to us.

"A What now?" I reply.

Malik raises his eyebrows and gets and retrieves the cube from the wagon. I tense up by relax once I notice that it is wrapped up in a cut section of the tarp that used to be on the wagon.

"Legend says that an earth goddess of the land created them in the image of the hyena as protectors of the land and then laid down to sleep becoming the mountain range to the west. something like that." Borun elaborates.

"And that's weird." I respond to the tale Borun has spun for us.

"Interesting. There are weirder legends." Malik says, sitting back down with us. "Could be useful to have one around."

"Not sure why one's this far from the mountains." Borun adds, perplexed.

"So let's not go ask." I say.

"Could be a useful companion if it's not hostile." Malik says.

"On'y one way to find out." Rhyie'aanus adds, seemingly ready to go ahead and find the gnoll to ask it its business.

"Not it." I say, not wanting to put myself out there.

"I assume none of you speak gnoll..." Borun says, sounding hopeful that we would prove him wrong.

"Nope." Malik says with a grin.

"On'y a few trade phrases." Rhyie'aanus says with a shrug.

"I can speak orc, but that's about it." I say, adding my options.

"So I guess we leave it alone unless it knows common." Malik says, once again going to the wagons.

"Oh, I know Gnoll, I was just hoping someone that could fight would as well in case things go south." Borun clarifies.

"I mean it's not like we'd send you alone." We hear Malik say from his position in the wagon.

"Well... yes, that does make sense." Borun states, realizing we aren't quite that mean.

"Unless you want to go alone." I say, trying to emphasize the sarcasm in my voice.

"Don't take me wrong, I've known many gnoll, but... I'm not sure why one's this far out and it just makes me a bit nervous." He says, wringing his hands together.

"Might be worth finding out before we head on." Malik says as he hauls out the tarp from the wagon and folds it up before putting it in the lead wagon, "That obsidian knife we used to cut the rope. Where'd it end up?" he says in my direction.

"I have it." I say, feeling where I stashed it in my belt.

"Can I see it?" he asks.

I pull it out of by belt and hold it up, watching the sunlight glint off it's black blade, "It's so pretty."

"Indeed, could be quite useful too." He says as he moves over towards me and holds out his hand.

"Hmmm..." I say as I toss it between my hands. I'm not sure if I want to just hand it over since he thought it would be a good idea to soak me with cold water.

"May I have it please?" he asks, with a pulsing of his hand in my direction.

"Ok." I say as I sheath it before tossing it at him.

"So, are we wanting to talk to this Gnoll? If so, we shouldn't all go. They tend to be jumpy if severely outnumbered." Borun tells us.

"I'll stay here." I say as I scamper to sit on a wagon.

"Well then, Malik or Rhyie'aanus?" Borun says, apparently surprised at my unwillingness to go with.

"I'll go with you." Malik says, "Ryie'aanus, wanna snipe if necessary?"

"Sure, and…" she says with a wink at me, "...I'll leave my little friend here to keep you company in case you get lonely."

Malik chuckles. "Sounds good, someone needs to keep an eye on the vulture demon."

The drake crawls out of Rhyie'aanus backpack and flits onto the top of one of the wagons, where it sits and seems to be watching me.

"Awww, man. I don't need a babysitter." I say looking up at it.

"Iss prolly older'n you are. Used to be bigger, too. Ended up all child-drake sized same time as I lost my face." Rhyie'aanus tells me, giving it a pat on the head as she shoulders her weapon.

"Shall we?" Malik says, gesturing towards the gnoll. "Also, the naked-man-were-jackal mentioned a lying dog in the desert. Think this may count."

"Of course you would take the word of a drug crazed dude as useful." I say to Malik before looking at the drake again, "At least he's travel sized."

"I've heard my fair Shari of prophecy and it is worth being cautious." Malik replies.

"Whatever floats your boat." I say.

"It'd be really funny sayin' that if som'on 'ere had a prophecy leadin' to a boat wreck." Rhyie'aanus says at Malik's comment.

"Uh...no." I reply.

"Never been on a boat." Borun adds, "Spent my life travelling back and forth across this road."

"I have twice." I say, adding my personal experience to the imaginary tally.

"Well I'm glad my wrecked boat got me away from where I was so whatever floats a boat or wrecks your boat as far as I care." Malik says.

"Wow." I say, not really knowing how else to respond to such a comment.

"Didn't like where you were? Isn't that the whole point of a boat, to get you from where you were?" Borun says, a little confused.

"It got me out of going back to where I didn't want to go." Malik says as he starts walking off, apparently not willing to continue the conversation further.

"I had no choice the first time. I just woke up there. Second time it was the fastest option." I say, mostly to myself, remembering things I'd rather forget.

The drake continues to watch me from his perch, every once and a while looking over at the bird thing curled up on the ground. I stare at the drake in turn, knowing two can play that game. He seems to like that as he chitters at me in a friendly manner. It seems like he is actually saying something but in a language I don't understand.

I grow bored of staring at the drake and go pull out my journal from my pack and write a bit. I look in the direction everyone went every few lines. I take a long pause and reach out my hand towards the drake. It looks at me and then at my hand but doesn't move any closer. I stretch my hand out a little more, my fingertips just not touching its tail. I reaches forward and sniffs the tips of my fingers, seeming to be curious as to what I'm doing. I twiddle me fingers a little, inviting him to rub up against my fingers. He chitters at me, almost as if he is asking me a question.

"It's ok." I say in the common tongue. "I'm just curious what you feel like." I withdraw my hand slightly, now about an inch away from his head with my palm facing upwards. The drake lifts it's head towards my proffered palm. I purr gently, trying my best to reassure him. He stops there, head proffered to me, looking up expectantly. I smile as I lower my hand until it just touches the top of his head. I move my hand in small strokes over his head.

The black scales feel smooth and cold beneath my fingers. Despite the black color, the scales feel unlike the scales of a snake but instead like the smoothness of a China doll. As I touch them, they begin to shimmer and become hard to focus on as if they're shifting just out of focus yet I can feel them solin and hard to the feel of my fingers.

I blink a few times and give him a few more strokes, going down his back as I do, "You feel different. But very smooth. So different from my own fur. It's nice."

He chitters in a friendly manner and then moves away from my hand. He retreats to the top of the wagon to apparently resume watching me and the bird. I smile at him and look around the area, keeping a watch for if our friends return. I see nothing and decide the ground is not the most advantageous place to look around from. I get up and go into the empty wagon with my backpack. I open it up and start to pull out most of the items, arranging them neatly before me.

I have almost everything sorted and returned back to my pack when I see the recon group returning back to the caravan. Rhyie'aanus had come back a little earlier and sat near the campfire, having beaten the other group back rather quickly. The drake has joined her near the campfire while I continue to sit in the wagon.

"Say hello to our new friend... err Borun what is his name?" Malik says as he approaches the camp, gesturing to the dog-like person walking with them.

"He said his name is...well, the closest thing in the common tongue is, I guess 'Dave' " Borun says, giving the gnoll a look.

"You made that up to give us something to call him didn't you." Malik says.

"...yeah... There's no way you're pronouncing it." Borun admits.

"Figured." Malik says.

Borun goes over to the wagon and grabs the cube. He hands it to Dave who unwraps it and promptly falls on the ground unconscious. I begin laughing so hard at the gnoll that I almost fall out of the wagon.

"Umm not sure I expected that to go any other way." Malik says before turning to us, "While it's out though Rhee have your drake fly away and then come back from another direction and do an aerial sweep. Just in case."

"Sure." Rhyie'aanus says and looks over at the drake. He flaps his wings and flies off away from camp.

"Best to know if this dog is lying and hunting in a pack." Malik says.

He sits down be the fire and pulls out the obsidian knife from his belt. He says something about string coming forth and looks at the knife. I look over at him in supreme confusion, trying to understand why he though a magic knife would make string.

"Maybe I should keep the knife." I say, not really sure what he is trying to do.

"So, what are we doing when Dave wakes up?" Rhyie'aanus ventures.

"If he wakes up." I add.

"Depends on your dragons report." Malik says, disappointed he didn't get any string, "If he's honestly just curious and wanted a psycho trip he may just leave."

"Or he may wake up and try to kill all of us." I say.

"Never seen a Gnoll fight when it didn't outnumber it's foe." Borun tells us.

"I don't think it'll be a big deal if we can hit it." Malik says with a shrug.

"So, Borun, now that I've made a fool of myself how did the leader of the caravan get the string to secure the wagon?" Malik says.

I get up and try to take the knife from Malik.

|Borun| "The wizard that sealed the wagon put the rope on before he sealed it." Borun tells him.

Malik shoves one hand in my face and keeps me from getting any closer to the knife.

"So not actually a magic rope." Malik replies.

"I guess it was magic once the wizard magicked it all up." Borun says.

I reach out and try to snitch the knife from Malik's hand. His fingertips grip my face harder. I smell the electricity before I feel it, but then it's too late. Jolts of energy explode into my skin from where his hand was touching my face. My claws come out and I grab onto his arm, a reflex due to the pain lacing my face. His hand comes away from my face and I see a look of remorse flit across his face as he realizes what he has done. I hear the knife fall to the ground as he starts to turn away though pauses as he waits for my claws to free his arm. I slowly move my hand to pull my claws out of his arm. I leave them extended as I brace myself for another attack, not entirely sure of what provoked the first one. Malik walks away from the camp over to a nearby hill.

With a jerk of one breathing for the first time after almost drowning the gnoll wakes up and a flurry of words pours forth.

"He says that something in the cube told him that the water will call him away, and that he should follow the call, but then to shy away before that call betrayed him. Also that the holder of the cats would be standing amongst the sea and the land and the many people. He was pretty confused about that bit. And he was also told to not trust the dog in the desert." Borun translates.

I watch Malik walk off and pick up the knife and put it away in my belt. My face is blank without emotion, trying to hide the turmoil inside. I acknowledge Borun's translation with a nod. From the hill a large black pulse cackling with electricity erupts in large radius. I can see Malik is now kneeling on the ground at its center. I jump at the sound of the electricity, and give a concerned look towards the hill, but do not move towards it.

After a while Malik returns to camp heavily breathing but no worse for the wear "Great, the dogs awake. We should get moving." He says bluntly and sets about packing his stuff and getting the caravan ready to move.

I stand there for a moment, watching him before moving myself. "Yes we should." I say as I put my things in a wagon and douse the remains of the fire. Once the caravan is all packed up I sit up front next to Borun as we head off. I watch the campsite begin to recede behind us when I see a small figure start to follow the wagon. The bird-head has awoken and is following a little way behind the wagon, easily keeping up with our pace. I turn forwards and watch the road proceed ahead of us as we continue our journey onwards.


	9. Malik Kelon

A few hours of silence elapse as our caravan trundles under the sun. Everyone seems to be content with their own thoughts besides Borun who whistles quietly as he drives the wagons beside me. We make good time and come to find a crossroads. The road to our right leads North into the desert has a small pointed sign indicating that the city of Finderplain lies in that direction. The road to the South leads through the savannah, continuing our present route along the border a few leagues from the river that separates Katapesh from it's neighbor.

"So which way do we want?" I ask Borun.

"Which goes to Katapesh?" Malik says bluntly.

|Borun| "Both lead to Katapesh. The one to the north is shorter but the desert it leads through is treacherous and lacking supplies save for the few cities along its route. The one to the South is much longer but is the same easy road we've been on." Borun elaborates to us.

"How much do we have in provisions currently?" I ask.

"Could we make it between the cities with what we have?" Malik emphasizes, seeming to ignore my remarks.

"Food, yes. We had provisions for about a dozen people for this trip originally. Water, no. The original plan was to take this border road because it's full of intermittent rain flow pools." Borun tells us.

"Ok. Also, define treacherous?" Malik asks him.

"Dust diggers, Behirs, wild animals, raiders, desert drakes..." Borun lists off the dangers we might face.

"Gnolls!" we hear Rhyie'aanus chime in from the second wagon. "Haha, just kidding. Dave's cool."

"Without water we won't make it far. Especially with the oxen. Which would you recommend Rhyie'aanus?" I ask her, not really wishing to talk to Malik.

|Rhyie'aanus| "Water is an issue, but Dave might know a bi' abou 'at. The boarder road'd also give us the option to take a boat north along the coast if'n we wanted to." She says.

"A boat could be nice, but the waterway may be riskier for attack." I mention.

"Not much more than the road." Malik adds.

"That could be true." I say, pondering our options, "Given our situation id go with the border road. It's not like we are being pursued or are pressed for time."

"I agree." Malik says, surprisingly.

I turn to Borun, "So... border road?"

"I'm fine with either, really." Rhyie'aanus says.

I nod and smile. "Then the border road it is."

"Sounds good to me." Borun says and urges the cattle onwards on that path.

As we trundle on, my hand strays up to my face and feels the spots where the fur has been singed off.

_Why did he shock me? I was just making a joke while trying to keep him from doing anything stupid. Why would you try to summon string from a knife?_ _I hope it will grow back. My fur was just starting to lay flat too after that drake zapped me. Now I will need to have a real bath to make it all behave again._

I'm guessing Malik saw me touching my face as I see him look down in shame and start to take off his gauntlets.

"I'm sorry. Some habits are hard to break. That's part of why I can't go back." He says quietly.

"Back to where?" Borun asks, seeming hoping we break this uneasy silence we have had going for most of a day.

I can see Rhyie'aanus straighten a bit, but she stays in the back of the wagons where she's been riding watching the bird with the Drake.

"Back to the 214th." Malik explains. "...back to the hell nights of Cheliax"

At hearing this Rhyie'aanus turns her head towards us and seems to pay even more attention to what Malik is saying.

"Oh?" I say, my head cocking a little to the side as I wonder what he means since the only part I remotely understand is the place Cheliax.

"The 214th what? Is that an address of some sort? Bad house you grew up in?" Borun adds, watching the road as he steers the oxen and wagons around a larger rock in the way.

"I am Malik Kelon, first Sargent of the 214th hell night legion under general Marissa Leold. We were the 'acquisitions' department. I was a combat medic until the General saw better use for my healing abilities. I was in charge of discipline and information acquisition." Malik says.

He's managed to work off his gauntlets and is digging around in his bag. He begins to pull out some old patches of fabric and lays them out on the wagon floor.

My eyes narrow to slits as Malik talks, unsure of what I am about to hear.

"I was not raised to be the man I am today and I was not raised to help hand the world over to demons. There's nothing right about what I was doing so I'm done, and I know your're listening back there. Trust me it's better to live the rest of your days as a deserter than try and leave once you know too much. If I were lucky, I'd be under house arrest until I died. That's no way to live.

"As far as the legion knows I'm MIA, presumed dead and I'm more than happy to keep it that way."

I give Malik a hard look, hoping that what I'm hearing is the truth before nodding slightly.

After a slightly awkward silence Borun pipes up, "And that's why I'm just a merchant!"

I smile at Borun's comment, glad that we are able to see a little happiness in dark things. "And we are glad you are. All types are needed in this world."

"Indeed, but one could say that merchants are worse. Selling weapons to both sides." Malik adds, not in an accusatory way, but more of a statement.

"All is fair in love and war." I say, repeating something I'd heard Master Nessori say from time to time.

"Never sold weapons. I'm a merchant, not an arms dealer." Borun states, a little defensively.

"More than weapons are used in warfare." Malik points out.

"Yes, but I carry pesh... You don't use that for war, only lovemaking and spiritual things and pleasure." Borun says, the look in his eyes saying he might like to use some about now.

"Unless you are crazy." Malik says, "Or a magic person. Drugs are money and an easy way to control people."

"That is true too, which is why I don't mess with such things." I respond.

Somewhat wanting to change the conversation, I look back towards the end of the wagons and see the bird-head is still there. "That thing is still following us? That is one dedicated bird."

"Or 'ungry." Rhyie'aanus adds as she watches it too.

"Ummm...but we don't have more food for it..." I look at it with trepidation and slight fear.

"iIs a one foo'tall bird 'ead on four legs... What's't gonna do?" she says, sensing my uneasiness.

"It's not normal. I don't know, but don't really wanna find out."

"I dunno, iss kinda cute!"

"You think that is cute?"

"There are worse creatures." Malik adds.

"Yeah, like the thing it ate." I state.

Malik begins to put the patches back into his bag, neatly stacking them inside. I watch Malik, conflicted with what to do or say. After a few moments of internal debate, I finally settle on what I should do.

"Malik..." I venture.

"Yeah?" He says.

"I forgive you for what you did to me. I'm guessing it was a reflex from your years of...training."

"I appreciate that. If you want those scars to ever grow hair again, you'll let me look at them later.

"Ok." I sure, not sure what he can do to fix my fur, "Though if you are hiding from your...people...you may need to disguise yourself or change your name to keep from being found."

"I can 'elp with stuff like 'at. Got lots'of training with disguising and identity changes." Rhyie'aanus adds.

"I know where the power plays are going to be for the next decade or two and I can extrapolate from there. As long as I stay clear of there, I'll be fine. I already ditched my uniforms just kept the patches to prove my identity... And you would help me rather than turn me in?" he says with the last bit aimed at Rhyie'aanus.

"Ignoring your identity is a favor I can extend to a fellow member of the 214th, but I won't follow down your path." She says.

"Wait what?" I say, confusion and thoughts flying through my head.

"Iss a big legion, and iss is a small world. You bump into each other." She says as a sort of explanation.

"So even more of a reason to hide who you are." I say to Malik, hoping this doesn't turn into a confrontation, "What if someone above you offers a reward for info about you to others in the legion? There are lots of people who wouldn't hesitate to snag some nice money for your hide."

"No' in the legion. We're all payed pret'y hansomly so we won't feel the need to take bribes or run off with our objectives. And if wha' ee's saying about the shipwreck iss true, then 'eel be assumed dewd." She says.

"I'm just saying. It would be better to be safer than sorry." I state. "Plus I don't fully believe the shipwreck story. You don't crash on the ocean and end up all the way in Bug Harbor. Like seriously.

"You do when a mage from Alkenstar sends a storm your way. Magic blows it out of proportions and crazy shit happens." Malik adds.

I sit there looking at him, really unsure of how to reply to that statement.

"And those are pretty rare." Rhyie'aanus says with a nod, "Like, don't get me wrong, I've met some, but they're all foreign-trained because there's no usable magic in Alkenstar."

"Okay..." I say, not really understanding.

"That's why they took a ship out to sea, conjured the storm with plenty of excess mana and sent it our way where the wastes blew it up." Malik explains.

"And why would they care to do that." I ask.

"... Let's just say Alkenstar is in a very disagreeable arrangement with Cheliax right now. Any chance to strike back and make it look like a natural occurrence I'm sure they'd take." He elaborates.

"Ok." I say, still uncertain.

"And I definitely have nothing to do with 'at!" Rhyie'aanus adds.

"Oh shut it, you and me are the reason for it."

"What were you even doing in all iss mess?"

"General Leold was in charge of negotiating the deal. She pulled me off my other assignments to "assist" where my abilities allowed."

"Good job." Rhyie'aanus says, sarcasm almost dripping from her mouth as she says it.

"We had the weapons. Might have gotten the deal properly if somebody hadn't given the order to kidnap the queen regents daughter and marry her to a Chelish noble."

"Not my fault! I just follow orders..."

"I know, I'm not blaming you I'm blaming the higher ups."

"But for wha' iss worth, looks like 'at pressure is doin' iss job. Givin' some of 'em Alkens some ideas on 'ow they should treat Chelish vessels. From what I've seen in the past, 'ats how you can tell iss working afore they cave."

"Sure if you want to incinerate cities at the drop of a hat."

"I'm not against that; war is war."

I am starting to make sense of what they are saying, "So whose at war with who exactly and why?"

"Cheliax... with the world." Malik states.

"I've heard random mentions of Cheliax doing this or that when I lived in Korvosa but I never really paid attention to details." I say.

"They don't tend to deal much with areas this far away, but there always seems to be one country or another that's warring against them or that they've decided to attack. I believe the Fey of Isger are currently at war with Cheliax, although Andoran never seems to make a complete truce."

"Ooookay. Do they just like war?" I ask.

Malik nods, "But their plan is the world, and if they develop the tech they are working on it won't be hard for them to do so."

"Oh, what they makin?" I ask, both wanting and not wanting to know the answer based on how this conversation has gone.

"A bomb the size of a house and an airship capable of getting it anywhere in the world."

"That's...not ok."

"And that's why I left. I've always done my best to not harm innocents. This will kill more innocents than combatants and leaders."

"Uh huh. Where do they plan on dropping that thing?"

"You ask as if there will only be one. Any country that resists will have their capital destroyed. Along with other major point of interest or resistance."

"So like Katapesh, or..." I trail off and get quiet. Not wanting to mention the city I still love but can't go to."

"If the governments resist yes, but that won't be for another 20-30 years."

"And all major cities have so much warding around them to prevent from magical attacks that you couldn't just drop like a single bomb and destroy the whole thing." Borun adds, trying to ease my fear.

"It's not magical, it's demons fire. Some alchemical concoction that won't go out even with water. All you can do is watch it burn." Malik explains. "The hope is to develop a bomb which will throw the liquid a mile or two in every direction. Special provisions are being taken for stone cities."

"That would kill anyone and destroy whole areas. If water doesn't put it out it could just spread and destroy a whole country." I say, trepidation filling my voice.

"That's the point." Malik says.

"Well, on the bright side... If wha' you're sayin' is true, then it'd make my job a lot easier." Rhyie'aanus says with a smile.

"They won't need an acquisitions dept anymore." Malik agrees.

"I mean, I've seen demons fire at work. One of my comrades in the 214th's an alchemist and uses the stuff. While it doesn't go out by water, it'll die out on iss own after a time, and it doesn't like to spread too terrible far. But, nah. Even if ya can blow fings up on a huge scale, you'll still need to acquisition fings. Especially so, then because you'd need to acquisition stuff from a city afore you blow it up."

"Yeah I guess." Malik says.

"Hopefully Katapesh doesn't piss them off before or while we are there. I'd rather not get set on fire." I say.

"I did mention the 20-30 years till that weapon is deployed right?" Malik asks.

"He did say it was still 20-30 years off. I really hope it doesn't take us that long to make it there" Borun says.

I stick my tongue out. "You never know. They could decide to test something or work faster. Plus, it feels like we haven't made any progress on this road at all."

"Oh yeah they are definitely going to have a prototype deplorable so far from Cheliax so early in development." Malik says sarcastically.

"Hey, this caravan is moving as fast as it physically can. If you wanna get out and push or something..." Borun adds defensively.

"Like I could push it any faster." I retort.

"Well, you are the one complaining about the speed we're moving at."

"I just feel we haven't gone anywhere cause everything looks so much the same."

"We may have had several stops, but we are making good time." Malik adds.

I stick my tongue out at him once more before giving a small smile. Everyone has visibly relaxed now that we have all had some things put to rest. I give Malik a glance as he settles back into a more comfortable spot in the wagon. _I wonder what else he has seen and done. I feel a little bad for him. _I turn my attention to the road once more as the oxen lumber on.


	10. Another Caravan

The noonday sun is hot overhead as Malik begins passing out food to everyone. The waterskins take several passes as quench our thirst before being handed apples, cheese, bread, and some sticky sweet thing that I don't know what it is. We are all happily munching on our food when we crest one of the few hills in this desert landscape. As we reach the top we see a caravan ahead of us travelling west.

_Oooo. I wonder if they have anything nice. I'd like some new shinies…_

My thoughts stagnate as I get a better look at the caravan. There are only two wagons, each with two drivers sitting in the seats guiding the oxen. A large group of lizardfolk sell-swords flanks both wagons, making for a very large group.

_Or on a second thought, I'm going to stay right here in this seat._

"Wonder what they are taking and where." I venture aloud.

"Must be some very important...lizard things..." Rhyie'aanus trails off.

"Must be valuable to have that many guards for so few caravans." Malik adds, watching them approach.

Dave says something in gnoll which Borun translates, "Should we steal it?"

"I doubt anyone would make it alive if we tried." I say.

"The drake could probably grab something without being seen." Rhyie'aanus suggests.

"Probably but do we really care to snitch something just that small?" I say, looking at the tininess of the drake. "We should just let them pass, unless they try anything."

"The Drake says he's gonna go see what he can steal. He'll probably be back tonight with something shiny." Rhyie'aanus says after looking over at the drake.

"Ooo shiny." I say, not able to help myself.

"Iss 'ow he does, and 'ees almost too good at it." Rhyie'aanus says with a slightly accusatory look at the drake who almost gives a shrug and what I swear is a smile.

"I like snitching shinies from people." I add.

"have him see if there's anything too big for him that would be valuable enough to take. If we play our cards right, we may be able to walk with all of it." Malik says as he puts his gauntlets back on.

I turn back in my seat next to Borun, watching the caravan and wondering what it carries. Both our caravan and it move slightly over to allow each other to pass by. The guards give us looks as they seem to assess our threat to them but they move quickly by, giving us no more than that first surveying glance. I watch them pass and come up with an idea if we do plan to take the caravan.

"Well that opportunity is gone." Malik says as they disappear over the crest of the hill.

"Not necessarily." Rhyie'aanus says with a smile, "Drake's with'm, and tonight when'e gess back we'll know what they're holding and how they're camped and such."

"That implies we turn and follow." Malik says.

"Or we simply camp 'ere. Following would make it suspicious." Rhyie'aanus suggests.

Malik looks up at the sky, estimating how much daylight we have left, "By the time they make camp they will have made it a long way and then we're playing catch-up."

"Do you want to leave me to make camp and you guys follow them, then?" Borun suggests.

"We could, but I wouldn't want to leave you alone out here." I say to him.

"And if we were to stand a chance, we'd need every fighter." Malik adds.

"Not necessarily." I say, my plan coming together in my head, "If what I have in mind works, we would only need three of us. Me, Malik, and Rhyie'aanus."

"So, we'd be leavving me and Dave to keep the caravan?" Borun says, verifying the split.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Malik asks, interested.

"That would be whose left, yeah." I say to Borun, "Those guards are all lizard men. Rhyie'aanus seems to be able to manipulate ice and snow. If she could make their campsite cold, they would be sluggish and easily overcome by Malik and I. I doubt the traders would be much of a fight. We could kill them or take them, whichever we decide."

"I can summon small amounts of snow and ice, but I can't control the weather like a mage..." Rhyie'aanus explains, "I can snipe a lot of 'em, though."

"That was my plan." Malik says, almost sore about me venturing it first.

"Hmmm...any cold would slow them down. So, you would still be very effective, as well as sniping." I tell Rhyie'aanus.

A string of words comes out of Dave's mouth before he turns to Borun, "He'd rather stay here and guard than attack something with that large of a numbers difference." Borun translates.

"Work from the shadows and whittle the numbers down." Malik ventures, nodding.

"Worked on this caravan." Rhyie'aanus admits with a nod.

"Truth." Malik confirms, "Though this time we don't have the luxury of days. We have one night."

"But juss doing 'at took very many days." Rhyie'aanus exclaims, unsure of being able to do it faster.

"Once we get them down a few I can move in, distract and Senassori can move in from behind them and sneak attack."

"As soon as the firs' or second ones go down, they'll all be alerted." Rhyie'aanus states.

"Yes, but they won't know where you are at first. Or we try throwing the cube into the camp." Malik suggests.

"Oh..." Borun starts to protest.

"If we do that what keeps us safe from it?" I ask pointedly.

"Well, as long as one of us doesn't succumb, we win." Rhyie'aanus says.

"Yup. And if I throw the tarp over me, I should be ok." Malik says.

"That...could work...but what if they don't go down?" I ask.

"I mean, it took down a demon... but if it doesn't, I can just snipe the ones that don'e succumb." Rhyie'aanus says.

"Well, I guess we have a plan. Let's try this." I say.

"We wanna bring Dave?" Rhyie'aanus asks.

"I thought we'd agreed he would stay here with Borun."

"An'en we go' a new plan. Juss makin' sure."

"He can stay with Borun. Let's go poke a dangerous thing."

Rhyie'aanus says something to Dave in Gnoll before shouldering her gun, "Alrigh' less head out."

Borun slows the caravan to a crawl for us. I jump out of the wagon and move off to the side of the road.

"Or should we wait for the drake to get back. It may have nothing." Malik asks, jumping out too.

"Let's let them get not quite out of sight and follow so we see where they are, and the drake can meet up with us there." I say.

"Ok." Malik says.

"Yeah, we can meet up with the drake outside of their camp." Rhyie'aanus says.

"If we take the caravan we will send the drake ahead of us to you Borun." I call back.

"It can fly pret'y fast, so 'ee makes a good messenger." Rhyie'aanus states.

"If we are not back by morning go on down the road." I add to Borun.

I slowly walk in the grass along the road, letting the lizardfolk caravan get just far enough away. Malik grabs a bag of jerky from the wagon as well as the folded tarp and tucks them under one arm. Rhyie'aanus has the wrapped cube in her hands and Malik and I on the side of the road. Borun nods and whips the oxen back up to moving.

We slowly make our way along the road, ensuring we can just barely make out the dust from the lizardfolk caravan ahead of us. Dusk begins to settle across the savannah and the caravan of lizardfolk grinds to a halt and begins to make camp, nestled in a gulch beside the road. I hold up a hand for us to slow and make my way to one of the nearby hills, far enough away to not be easily spotted. We wait there for a while before Rhyie'aanus signals to us that the drake is returning.

The drake zips in and has something glittering in his claws. An ornate, golden arm band is dropped on the ground between Malik as I as he lands on Rhyie'aanus shoulder with a quick chitter.

"That is a very pretty shiny." I say, holding it up, "Did he see more of that sort of thing?"

"Yeah, in a chest." Rhyie'aanus reports, stroking the drake.

"Definately worth it. Lets take em out." I say

"Alrigh' en; who's throwing 'iss fing?" She says as pulls the wrapped cube out from inside her bag.

"That would be him." I say as I point to Malik.

"Me." He agrees, "And anything else he found?"

"He didn't see anything, so it's safe to assume that this is all there is." She says with a shrug.

"30 guards for only 2 wagons. There has to be a bit more than just this." Malik says, uncertain.

"Mayhaps they're super valuable or somat." She shrugs again.

I inspect the armband as they get themselves ready. The armlet feels warm to the touch as it turn it over in my paws. Intricate scrollwork wraps around the piece, and winking gems are inlaid in the pattern. From my experience of gagueing how much things are worth before I steal them, the craftsmanship of this piece is worth several Platinum pieces.

"This is real." I say, putting it in my beltpouch.

"Lets have some fun then." Malik says as he wraps the canvas tarp around himself like a cloak.

"Rhyie'aanus, go and find a good vantage point for you to snipe from. Send the drake to us when you are set, and we will sneak up on the camp and throw the cube in." I tell her.

She nods and hands the wrapped cube to Malik before heading off. I move closer, crouching on the top of the gorge just above the lizardfolk's camp. I look across and can just make out Malik crouching down across from me, the tarp almost completely concealing him from view. He looks up at me and nods, I'm assuming the drake showed up saying Rhyie'aanus is in position too so I nod back. I see him reach down into the tarp and throw an object.

The caravan and everyone below me vanishes, leaving me alone on the top of the gorge. I look around me. Everything looks the same but I seem to be the only creature around for miles. I stand there, waiting to see what happens. I'm not as scared this time since I know it isn't real and is the work of the cube. The sun drops below the horizon in a great speed, leaving me under the stars that are also moving in a great rush towards the horizon.

I look up at the speeding sky. "Gah, that's gonna make me dizzy if I have to watch it for too long."

The night grows colder as the warmth leaves almost as fast as the sun did. I start to rub my arms. Wishing for one of the first times in my life that I was wearing more clothes. I fluff my fur up, trying to retain as much heat as possible.

"What is it you are wanting?" I call out. "Why do you do this?"

The stillness of the savannah continues on and my question is answered only by the whistle of the wind.

"Fine, don't respond to me." I yell out. "I'll just freeze my tail off here and you will stay in your little box forever. Used as a tool or weapon whenever people want to."

A light starts to glow from the bottom of the gorge as if the sun was rising from the other side of the cliff rather than the horizon. I crouch down at the edge as I watch it appear. My fur is fluffed as much as possible with my tail wrapping around my paws. An empty golden box rises upwards and lands next to me. It's roughly the size of my person and a comforting warmth emanates from within. I look at it, contemplating crawling in. The warm the entices me and I give in. I jump into the box and curl up, my tail wrapping around me before tucking under my head. I begin to purr. The lid of the box closes and there is an instant of darkness before light and colors come rushing in. I find myself laying in a meadow with a small village surrounded by a foreign wood.

"And I was just getting warm." I uncurl a little and sit up, looking around the area.

The village seems to be under attack by raiders. People are running and screaming both around the houses and around the trees near me. One runs right at me and I try to dip out of the way. I'm too slow but the person runs right through me. I see that they were being chased by one of the raiders. Their ploy to run didn't save them as I see them be impaled by a spear behind me. I twitch around trying to keep out of the way and run but I trip and flail about. My breath comes faster and faster as I look for an escape.

The only buildings near me are on fire, and raiders are pouring through the trees. There is a large boulder rising up from the ground a few feet away from me. I run over to it and try to clamber up. As I reach the top, I see a group of cavalry emerge from the woods. The fires of the burning village gleam off of the black armor of the hellknights. As they near the village, the raiders turn towards this new threat.

I cower down on the boulder, trying to get as small as possible as I continue watching. The cavalry cuts through the raiders like practice dummies. They dismount on the far side of the meadow and walk through the fallen raiders, finishing off any injured laying on the ground. Very few of the villagers remain alive, slowly moving from where they were cowering: emboldened by the presence of the hellknights. Out in the meadow, sitting in the pool her dead mother's blood, a small girl sits crying with a small black drake sitting on her shoulder

I look at the girl, pieces falling together of what I am seeing and what this is. A hellknights cavalier comes over to the girl and places a hand on her shoulder comforting her. She is picked up by the hellknight and rides off with the cavary as the group rides away, back into the forest.

I stand up on the boulder once they are out of sight. I look around me, sorrow filling my chest for what happened here. The villagers continue to put out the fires and pile up the raiders' bodies after pulling anything valuable off of them. I climb off the boulder, wishing I could help these people. "Why have you shown me this?" I say quietly.

As a villager walks past me, he pauses. Not seeing that I'm there, under his breath he says, "The Man of Blue organizes the basket; Within the basket was you and now no longer; West and East and West again he travels; more and more, never sated"

The world flashes black and I feel myself laying on the ground somewhere. I blink my eyes and sit up. Shaking my head to try and make sense of what just happened.

"Strike at me again and I won't hesitate. The others won't as well." I hear Malik says from inside the gorge.

"Do I need to do it for you?" Rhyie'aanus voice come after.

I stand up and move to the edge of the gorge and look down at the carnage below me. Many dead lizardfolk lie in pools of their own blood. Malik's blood-stained form moves about between them, punching a few as if to ensure they are all dead. I recoil back from the edge and crouch down. I recall what I'd just seen and what we have done. I sit there away from the edge where I cannot see into the gorge. My arms are wrapped around my legs as I hear the continued death from below.

The Drake flies up over the edge and sits a few feet from me, unblinkingly staring at me. I stare back at it. Calming myself with a quiet and almost unnoticeable purr. It stares for a few moments more before flitting down into the gorge again. I watch it fly off but don't move.

"Malik, do I need to take care of this one, or do you have plans for him?" Rhyie'aanus voice floats up.

"I can't." I hear the quiet response.

"He won't make it far into the desert before being killed by jackals, but if you need to be sure... I can do it for you."

"I won't get up kid. You have this one chance to live child, take it."

I hear the sound of scrambling, as if someone is trying to stand up and run at the same time. A single, deafening crack rings out. My ears twitch at the shot.

"Let's get what we're here for." Malik says.

I try to stop my thoughts and go back to my position. Recalling the words to a song I'd heard often in the complex as a child I sing it to myself silently, trying to muster the courage to move.

"Could I ge' some 'elp with iss? Iss pretty heavy!" I hear Rhyie'aanus say.

I look towards the gorge and muster the strength to stand up and walk along the edge till I am at the mouth of the divide. I smell the scent of burning flesh and walk towards the campfire and see Rhyie'aanus cleaning up. I move next to her and help to pick up a body.

"You don't ave to 'elp with 'is. I was talking about the chest in the wagon. Le' some'n with blood on 'ere hands do the dirty work. Iss wha' my life's always been full'of." She tells me gently.

Malik returns to the fire and gives a heavy sigh, "And mine."

I look at her with sorrow and understanding. I drop my part of the body and go to the wagons and climb up into one.

"Well, som'n's got to have bloody hands so the Innocents can stay safe." I hear her tell Malik as I dig around in the wagon, sorting through the things I find.

Malik walk up and stores the tarp and cube in the wagon then goes over to assist Rhyie'aanus, "Innocent... is anyone innocent in a warrior's eyes?"

"Some are...some are..." she responds, heaving a body onto the fire.

A chest sits in the center of the wagon with the lid open and the drake perched on the edge of. I look inside and see that it is full of different armbands like the one he had brought us earlier. Each with different ornate scrollwork and all humming with a slight, warm vibration. I go look over at the other wagon and see that it is full of enough food to feed a small army. Nothing catches my fancy, so I turn back to the chest. I run my hands through the armbands, feeling them.

Rhyie'aanus puts her cold, stone-like hand on Malik's shoulder "Some take pleasure in war, some just do their duty for others' sake, and some can't stomach any of it; but we all end up in the same place."

Malik nods slightly, "So is Borun coming to us or us to him"

I remove my gaze from the shinies and start laying out the other things I found in the wagon. Several spare tools and parts for doing basic wagon repairs are present so I lay them out by the chest, seeing if any of them would be of use to us.

"I thought I served a higher better purpose, but I only fed the appetites of if demons. That's all Cheliax is, a cesspit of demons." Malik says.

"You probably never lived on th' edge of their territory where the enemies of the country weren't juss another enemy to wage war against. In Nidal where I grew up... The enemy is a very real danger that the hellknights are the on'y things standing between us and death. The politics of the capitol may be full of demon worshipers and the like, but... For all the bad they are, they do good for the little people." Rhyie'aanus says.

I finish my sorting of the items and sit on the edge of the wagon, listening to the two of them talk.

"I believe you. I never saw the people I helped, only those I hurt and served." Malik looks to the stars "They wouldn't have been our enemy though if the demons in politics hadn't started the wars in the first place."

Malik begins picking up the weapons from the ground and stores said weapons in the wagon. I watch him picking up things, tracking his movements with my eyes only. My whiskers twitch as the smell of burning lizard starts to clog my nostrils.

"But when the citizens of angels are attacking innocents, and the only thing protecting you are the demons? Then I figh' for the demons." Rhyie'aanus states.

My nose twitches and I sneeze.

"you okay 'ere, girl?" Rhyie'aanus asks me.

I nod.

"Face's gettin' all 'splody." She says.

I sneeze again and her eyes narrow as she looks at me closely. I stare back

"Your mouf says you're okay, but your nose is sayin' otherwoise." She comments.

I shrug.

"Allergic to cooked reptile?"

I shake my head.

" 'En whass with all the sneezing?"

I point at the fire.

"Allergic to fire?"

I shake my head and gesture to the air.

"Oh, smoke."

I nod.

"Shit allergy to have..." she says, voice trailing off.

"Truly." Malik replies, having gathered up everything of value.

"So, anyway, how we want to cart'iss box back to camp?" Rhyie'aanus asks.

I shrug.

"Is Borun coming to us or we to him? If us to him we just hitch up the wagons and go." Malik suggests.

"We're going t'him." Rhyie'aanus answers.

"I say let's stick it on an oxen, take it back, and have real meat for supper."

"Ya mean, you don't want lizard?" Rhyie'aanus says teasingly.

"I'll pass on smoked reptile." I respond.

"'Ass alright, not big on eating finds 'atkin talk anyhow." Rhyie'aanus agrees.

"Agreed. It may be more animal than sentient but it's still intelligent." Malik chimes in.

"So how about we get this thing out of here." I ask, looking at the chest.

"Sounds good t'me." Rhyie'aanus says.

Malik nods in agreement and looks around to see if we have missed anything else of value. He gathers up several short swords and bows from the battlefield, dropped by their now deceased owners. He pulls some rope out of his pack and rounds up the somewhat terrified oxen.

"Once again, are we heading to Borun or he to us?" He asks as he corrals them to the wagon.

"We are going to him." I say.

"Then let's hook up the wagons and be on our way." He says, then pauses, "Unless we want to carry the chest?"

"Why take the weight of another gonna be empty wagon? Just tie it to the ox and take it." I say.

"So we can ride and then ditch the wagon." Malik tells me.

"Ok." I shrug, "Just don't expect me to drive."

"That is not one of my strong points... animals and I have never really gotten along." Malik says after a moment.

"I can drive a wagon, just not very well." Rhyie'aanus pipes up.

"Well as long as nothing jumps out at us we should be fine." Malik says as he takes the oxen over to the wagon and strap them into the harnesses.

I unhitch the second wagon from the first so we only have to deal with one extra wagon. Rhyie'aanus and her drake climb up into the driver's seat of the first wagon and get situated. Once Malik has wrestled the oxen into their places he starts chucking bags of provisions from the other wagon into the one with the chest. I climb up, dodging flying produce as I do so. One sails past ruffling my fur as it does.

"Not smart climbing into a wagon with stuff being chucked in." Malik calls out with a laugh.

I stick my tongue out at him as I sit by Rhyie'aanus on the driver seat.

|Rhyie'aanus| "Iss getting awful dark, better head out now." Rhyie'aanus calls to Malik, looking around at the darkening sky.

"Agreed." Malik says as he throws over a final bag of apples and hops over into our now loaded wagon.

Rhyie'aanus guides the oxen up and out of the gorge. She doesn't have to fight with them much as they seem eager to get away from the smell of blood and death. The sun has long set and all is dark when we finally see the glimmer of a fire in the distance. We are greeted by Borun who is sitting next to a crackling fire with Dave snoring gently next to him.

I jump out of the wagon with my pack and immediately curl up by the fire with a yawn.

"Love how she assumes she shouldn't take first watch." I hear Malik say as I close my eyes, "I guess I will again."

"Technically second watch, I'm gonna get some sleep finally. I'll see what you found tomorrow morning." Borun says with a yawn.

"We're all awake so it is first. Enjoy." Malik retorts.

"Dave's asleep, second." Borun says as he climbs into his tent to sleep.

"Ok ok." Malik agrees.

"I can take the next watch after you." Rhyie'aanus tells him.

"Ok. Sounds good. Saves me from having to wake the heavy sleeper." Malik says.

Sleep finally comes, pushing away the sounds of the night and the fire.


	11. Rats Meet Cat

As the morning sun's rays hit my fur I stir and stretch my limbs. My mouth opens up into a deep yawn before I open my eyes and blink at the brightness.

"One day, you're gonna wake up, and it's gonna actually be dark outside." I hear Borun say as he is stirring up the fire to start cooking a meal.

"Only if I get to sleep during the day." I say as I stretch out each limb.

"All you do is ride in a wagon... Just get some sleep." He says.

"You ever slept in a bumping and rolling wagon?" I say with a tone of sarcasm, "I don't think so."

I look down at my unkempt, dirty, and still fluffed up by static fur and groan. "I think I'm going to take a bath before we move on."

Before I can take a step towards the pool of water a figure comes running up towards camp. As he runs up I make out it's a ratfolk, a panting and sweating ratfolk wearing a red scarf as a type of turban between his overly large ears. I jump as he stumbles into camp, my fur fluffed up as I his and spit at him. The ratfolk promptly faints and I continue to hiss and spit at his prone form, telling him off in my native language.

"What the hell?!" Malik says as he wakes up with the commotion.

I've crouched on all fours, back arched, facing the rat's prone form, a steady growl coming from my throat. Malik comes over and looks at the rat.

"It's a ratfolk? What's you pro..." he starts to say, "Cat...Cat plus rat... oh boy."

"Never seen'a cat 'fraid of a rat like 'at." Rhyie'aanus says as she comes over to join the group looking at the unconscious rat.

The ratfolk stirs and seems to come too before he immediately faints again.

"You are really going to need a bath to calm your hair." Malik says to me with a laugh.

"Stay down you bastard rat." I say, switching back and forth between my native tongue and the common.

Dave comes over to stand by Borun and pokes the rat inquisitively with the blunt end of his spear.

"Rat on a stick?" Malik says with another laugh.

At that laugh the ratfolk jumps up to his feet with his fist up ready to fight, "Who the hell are you!?"

"Caravanners. Who are you?" Malik asks.

I spit at him, "You're worst dreams rat."

Dave barks something at him.

"I am Ritzlin, and you are not my dream...only my second worst." The rat, apparently named Ritzlin replies.

"I might need to fix that." I say as I crouch lower, eyes narrowing.

Ritzlin looks behind him, as if his worst dream is somewhere there in the distance. As he does, I feel a weight land on my head. The drake has decided to perch on my head for an apparent closer vantage point on the action.

"Hey get off!" I yowl, swiping at my head.

I roll over on the ground, trying to dislodge the drake from my head. He seems to have sunk his little claws into my fur as he manages to remain attached as I thrash around and swipe at my head. I hear him chitter in an excited way as he clings on, seeming to enjoy the ride. I pause and look up and hiss at the drake, telling him to flap off. I crawl over to one of the wagons and try to rub the drake off and I squirm underneath. He clings even tighter and chitters again in my ear, this time almost playfully. I growl and roll around on the ground some more before running over to the rain water pond.

I dunk my head under the water and jerk it around, wondering if this would get it to let go. I hold my breath as long as possible before raising my head again to gasp for air. A face bends down in front of mine and a very sour looking drake stares at me with a not very happy look on his face.

"What? You didn't like that?" I say to it. "Get off or I'll dunk you again."

The drake opens his mouth and spits a black cloud on my face. The world goes dark and cold and I don't feel him on my head anymore. I shake my head, but the cloud doesn't dissipate from my head. In my shaking I lose my balance and slip down under the water. I come up spluttering, the cloud now gone from my head and I can see once more. I look around for the drake but he is nowhere to be seen.

"Stupid thing. My head is not a perch." I mutter to myself.

Since I'm in the water I quickly scrub myself down to get the dirt and muck out of my fur till I'm almost completely clean. I get out with a shake to remove most of the water and go over to the wagon and grab my pack. I rifle through my bag before pulling out a scrap of fabric and begin rubbing myself down.

"What's chasing you Ritz? Malik asks.

"My family...they want my head." Ritzlin responds, still panting from his exertion.

"If we give you to them will they leave us alone?" Malik inquires.

"They will assume, since we are talking, that I have spread my beliefs in Nyarlathotep to you. And my belief is why they want to kill me." Ritzlin explains.

"Nylon who? Bless you?" Malik says, confused.

"No' any demon or the like 'at I've 'eard 'f." Rhyie'aanus comments.

"Nyarlathotep...he is the Ruler of Destruction and Nightmares...Ever since I have realized his existence, everyone has wanted to kill me, and I have non-stop nightmares." Ritzlin explains, "Nyarlathotep will soon have his revenge on all my enemies."

"Why do they want to kill you for that?" Malik asks.

"They believe all that is evil should be destroyed." Ritzlin says, his breath almost back to him by now.

"So, you are evil?" Malik asks, an edge coming to his voice.

"I would like to think so...I have been evil for a whole two weeks now." Ritzlin says with pride.

"Sounds cute." Borun says.

"Two weeks huh? Cute indeed." Malik says, sarcasm giving his voice a darker tone.

"I could rivet all of your heads together!" Ritzlin shouts and then says something in an unknown language.

"So scary. Wooooooooo." Malik says with extreme sarcasm this time.

Ritzlin looks behind him, again seeming to check for someone. After a pause Malik's face takes on a very serious look before he addresses Ritzlin again.

"If your god commanded you to go to a village of innocent people and slaughter them or bring them unending nightmares, would you?"

"Touchy subject of late..." Rhyie'aanus comments to Ritzlin.

Malik gives Rhyie'aanus a look, "Answer carefully." He tells Ritzlin.

"Like you juss did back at 'at gorge?" Rhyie'aanus says accusingly at Malik.

"I lost sight of Nyarlathotep a while back, and he has yet shown himself to me as of recently." Ritzlin says in response.

"Guards of loot are one thing, another is someone with nothing who cannot fight. A bandit is one thing a monster another." Malik tells Rhyie'aanus in defense, "That is not an answer rat."

"I might destroy what Nyarlathotep demands... we aren't on very good terms right now." Ritzlin admits.

Utter confusion explodes across Malik's face, "What?"

"Enough about me!" Ritzlin shouts, "I will make you an offer."

"If it's money, the answer is yes." Borun interjects.

"If you protect me from my family, I will keep your wagon in good condition." Ritzlin says with a smile.

"We keep adding random wagons, that's a lot of work." Borun says in caution.

"We're ditching the most recent one, Borun." Malik tells him.

"Good, cause I'm definitely not cleaning the blood off of that." Borun says.

"I have no money, but I could offer my talents in the knowledge of the Arcana." Ritzlin adds.

"Can you tell what enchantments are on objects?" Malik asks, seeming interested.

"I am very capable." Ritzlin states with a smile.

The conflict is obvious in Malik's face as he tries to make a decision, "Fine. For now."

Ritzlin looks at Malik with a happy grin, "Where do I sit?"

"Pick a wagon. We got three, and a gore splattered one, but we're evidently not keeping that one." Borun says happily.

I'd only been half listening as I finally get all of the water out of my fur. I freeze as I look over and see Ritzlin sitting on one of the wagons and give a growl, "Why is the rat still here?"

"You wanna know what the shinies do don't you?" Malik says as he moves over to sit by the fire, "I'm also sure you'd rather not find a trap on one of them the hard way. Well he can tell us."

"I used shinies to buy my red silk weave scarf." Ritzlin says patting the scarf on his head.

"These are our shinies." I spit at Ritzlin then turn to Malik, "Why do we need him to see what they do? We could wait till we get to a town and have someone there look at them."

"So, the cat can talk?" Ritzlin says with sarcasm.

"Yes, I can talk you bloody rat." I spit.

"Yes, we could and have to pay them." Malik states.

"Rather not pay anyone." Borun says.

"Indeed, could be expensive." Malik agrees.

"I can do it for free as my part of the bargain. You must protect me, or I will never speak to you again." Ritzlin demands.

"I like that idea." I say as I pull on my now only damp clothes. "Not speaking with a rat again would be nice."

"Well, more rats are coming so you can take out your distaste of rats on them." Malik tells me.

"Well, 'iss is gonna be a fun road trip." Rhyie'aanus says with a grin, taking her own food.

"Wait, he's not coming with us is he?" I say, paused halfway in adjusting my gauntlets over my arms.

Instead of responding Ritzlin moves over and spitefully sits next to me with a grin. I hiss at him and run to the other side of camp, fur bristling out again.

"Like two spiteful siblings." Malik says with a laugh.

"Buzz off you vermin." I say.

"So is your family that caravan down that way?." Malik asks.

"Yes!" Ritzlin says, nodding his head furiously, "They followed me all the way from Gembasket."

"Do you wish them ill?" Malik asks him.

"Sounds like they wish our new magic detector investment ill." Borun comments.

"No." Ritzlin says in response to Malik's question. "And niether did Nyarlathotep. Nyarlathotep must be punishing me for something."

"Does your uncaring abo't vermin races 'stend t'ratfolk like it does lizardfolk, Malik?" Rhyie'aanus questions Malik.

"It does." Malik tells her, "Simply wished to know his thoughts."

"Then let's protect our investment." Borun says with finality.

"He does not wish his family dead, so we fight if necessary." Malik says.

"You've got to be kidding me." I say, not fully believing that I will have to travel with a rat.

"Nope. Meet your new brother." Malik says with a grin.

"Oh no. He is not my brother. No way. No how. Uh uh." I say, shaking my head.

Malik chuckles and Ritzlin sticks his tongue out at me before sitting down across from me at the fire. I make a face at them both before sitting down at the fire next to Malik.

"Good sign, means she likes ya deep down insi'." Rhyie'aanus tells Ritzlin with a sideways grin.

Ritzlin's face twists into a look of deep concern upon hearing that.

"Yeah... No it doesn't." Malik comments as he stands up.

Malik goes over to the new wagon and begins loading the food from it into our own. "Well while you're here, help Ryanus there get the chest." He says to Ritzlin.

Ritzlin gets up and helps Rhyie'aanus pick up the chest and get it out of the wagon. Borun begins setting up quick meal. I finish adjusting my gauntlets and put my stuff back into my bag. I feel the fur on the back of my neck stand up so I whip my head up and look at the surrounding area. Off to the east I make out 8 ratfolk approaching our camp quickly. I can see a few have bows, one a spear, and the others crude clubs. They are all dressed in red similarily to Ritzlin. I let out a curse in catfolk before throwing my bag into a wagon.

"The pissy mice are coming." I call out.

Ritzlin immediately drops his end of the chest on the ground and hides under the nearest wagon.

"Ryanus, I trust you to lie our way out of this." Malik tells her after she mutters something and puts down her end of the chest, "I don't trust myself and I don't trust Senassori. Sena, let's move the chest."

"Awww come on." I whine a little, "Can't I chase them since you won't let me do anything to this one?"

"Gotcha." Rhyie'aanus says in agreement, "An you know me, never one t' be agains' killing a hoard of angry people tryin' t' kill us."

"If we have to fight, we will... And it shouldn't be much of a fight." Malik says and bends down to look under the wagon, "You clearly don't want to hurt them, even you should have been able to take them."

"Fine." I say as I grab one end of the chest on the ground.

Malik grabs the other end and we lift the chest into the designated wagon. As I'm closing the back of the wagon Rhyie'aanus comes over and whispers into my ear.

"Go with the drake up north and be ready in case they don't believe us." She says.

"Long as he doesn't pull anything on me when I'm up there."

"You should be good." She says and withdraws off to stand at the front of the wagon's and waits there to intercept the coming horde.

As Borun goes to sit up in one of the wagons on top of the newly acquired chest, I take off around the corner of a wagon. I head out across the grass, wanting to be on a flank for if I am needed. I find a nice hill a few dozen yards away and lay out on top of it, my form obscured by the taller grasses.

From my vantage point I can see the camp clearly as well as the approaching group of rats. I feel the drake come down and crouch next to me, also watching the camp.

"Sorry about earlier." I apologize to him. "I'm not used to things being on my head."

The drake chitters at me in a friendly manner, apparently forgiving everything.

"Good." I say with a smile before focusing on the camp.

I watch as Dave climbs up into a wagon with Borun. Malik first hops into a wagon and then gets out and starts hooking the oxen up to the lead wagon, preparing for a getaway if necessary I guess.

It isn't long before the group of 8 rats approaches the caravan. Rhyie'aanus steps up and engages the lead rat in conversation. Malik finishes hooking up the oxen and joins her. The rats move closer and I see Rhyie'aanus whip out her gun from her cloak and point it at the lead rat. I hear the shot ring out over the grasses.

"Well guess that went badly." I say to the drake and pull out my daggers before sneaking back towards the camp.

The drake follows closely as I maneuver over. I see one of the rats standing nearby with their back to my approach. I flick a dagger out at him and my blade cuts through his neck. Blood sprays out onto the ground and a neighboring rats looks up at my direction. I look around and see that Malik has taken a rat out, its leg bleeding with bits of bone sticking out. Two of the rats jump at Malik in turn as the two nearest me swing spears at my head. I manage to duck out of the way, their spears whistling past my ears. A shot rings out in the air. A rat near me has it's shoulder explode in a ball of ice as its arm falls severed to the ground. I pull out another dagger and swing at him with both hands. My first hit slices deep into his thigh, pulling him down on one knee towards my level. My second hit goes up under his chin into his head. Blood drops on my arm as I try to tug my dagger out, the hilt getting stuck in its jaw in the process.

Rhyie'aanus calls out, "Any of them still alive?"

Malik gestures to the two remaining rats between us heavily wounded, "Though they will die soon without aid. What do you wanna do rat boy? I can save them if you wish or let them die."

Ritzlin emerges out from under the wagon, "They will only try to kill me if they are left alive."

Malik nods, "Then so be it."

He walks over to each and with a deft hit he gives the one nearest him the mercy of a quick death. I flick my remaining dagger into the head of the one by me. Its eyes roll back as he falls over dead. Dave pulls his barbed spear out of the body of the rat he killed with a little difficulty as the barbed head seems to have a mind of its own to stay in the flesh of the dead.

"You have kept your side of our bargin. And I shall keep mine." Ritzlin says, brushing off his vest as he comes out from under the wagon.

I walk around and retrieve my dagger out of the jaw of the dead rat. "Ya got any other little pests we need to watch out for or were these all of them?"

"That is all... My past is dead." Ritzlin answers with a happy little smile.

"Your past is never dead, just sleeping." I say as I wipe my daggers off on the clothes of a dead rat.

"Attaboi. Don' listen t'her, 'er past'z all she looks at. Gotta look for'ard." Rhie'aanus says as she slaps him on the back.

Ritzlin looks up and smiles at Rhie'aanus. I glare at Rhyie'annus before flicking my daggers back into their sheaths.

"But the past prepares you for the future, no matter how cruel it may be." Malik says, wiping his hands off on a cloth.

"Money'll prepare you for the future." Borun counters Malik.

"Alright, enough distractions let's git moving." Malik says, but is interrupted as his stomach grumbles as he did not eat before sleeping the night before, "After food."

I look down at the blood on my arms. "And I just took a bath, dagnabbit."

"Not to alarm anyone," Rhyie'aanus pipes up, "but Dave may or may no' be eating already."

I look over and see Dave starting on one of the rats that had their chest caved in by Malik's fist, "That...is disgusting."

"Hyenas eat dead things. 'ow life works." Rhyie'aanus says with a shrug.

"Like I said earlier, rat on a stick." Malik replies.

Ritzlin hops up into a wagon and sits on one of the benches, his gaze floating off as he seems to think. I grab my pack for the second time today and enter the rainwater pool. I take my time this go around and get all of the dirt and gore out of my fur. I take my clothes and scrub and rinse them out to make sure all of the blood is gone. Malik has taken up where Borun left off before the rats interrupted us and preps a quick fare of fruit and bread.

"I'm assuming you're hungry Ritzlin?" he asks.

Ritzlin looks up, "Not really... Maybe later."

"Later means tonight. You sure?"

"I will manage."

"Ok." Malik responds and continues cutting food. A look crosses his face and he looks up at Ritzlin again, "Just a bit of friendly advice, don't eat the jerky wrapped in the kinda mangey black hide."

"I don't eat meat... I am a cheesatarian." Rotzlin answers.

Malik looks at him confused and then concerned, "Borun do we even have any cheese?"

"A bit, but not much." Borun says after he rummages through the wagons.

"Don't worry about me... I have cheese in my backpack." Ritzlin says, producing a hunk that he quickly replaces into a little pack.

I get out of the water and stretch out in the grass. The sunlight bathes my fur, drying off slowly in the light and breeze. After a bit Malik callout out that breakfast is served. I stretch from my sunning and don my now dry garments which I had lain out besides me.

"Stew again. I can't wait for something that hasn't been rehydrated." I say as I approach the fire.

"We can have some oxen steaks tonight or tomorrow, but we will have to dry most of the meat"

"I shall look forwards to that." I say, sitting down by the fire.

"Also, come here and let me have a look at your face." Malik says as he removes his gauntlets

I sit a little nervously in front of Malik, watching his hands closely. Malik's hands begin to glow a gentle white and he places his hand over the spots on my face where he had shocked me the previous day. The skin under his fingers knits back together, healing from the blackened flesh that had been there before. I rub my face once he is done, trying to scratch out the tingling on those areas where there is still no hair, but the skin is now whole and normal.

"Thanks." I say to him as I stand up to get some food.

"You are welcome the hair should regrow though it may not be the same colour and again you have my apologies." Malik says, his face sad but hopeful.

As we eat Rhyie'aanus and the drake start to get the wagons ready to head out. Ritzlin moves from the front of the wagon to the back and falls asleep in the back of the wagon.

I eat the rehydrated food stew, "Little white patches would be weird on my face."

"Are we wanting to add these two oxen to our team or still eat them?" Rhyie'aanus asks.

"Some fresh meat would be great to have. We could take with and eat one tonight." I venture.

"We can add them for now. Butchering one or both especially will take most of the day. May do it tomorrow when ratboy wakes up and identifies the armbands." Malik suggests.

"Sounds like a good idea." I agree. I finish my meal and climb up into the food wagon, checking to make sure everything is sitting ok since Malik just chucked stuff in it.

"Everyone ready to head out? Days wasting." Borun asks as he takes his place in the lead wagon.

"I am!" I call out, finishing shifting a few bags into more secure spots.

Malik puts out the fire and stamps out the embers before climbing up as well. Dave gives out a few barks as he climbs up.

"I'm good, and the rats asleep, so let's head out." Rhyie'aanus calls from the back wagon.

"Good thing he fell asleep in the wagon or we mighta left him." Malik says.

"But 'ey, oo knows. 'E may even be able to mount 'at uge crossbow th' demon dropped, so Senassori could use't as a ballista." Rhyie'aanus suggests.

"That'd be great. Let's hook up the other wagon and he can use it for parts." Malik says.

"Blood-spattered parts."

"Little difference in effectiveness."

"Don't fink a demonic crossbow'd mind. Migh' even make it better."

"Never know." Malik says as he hops out and moves to latch the wagon into the train.

Once all of the wagons are hooked up and everyone is parked in their wagons of choice, the wagon train heads of towards the east.


	12. Bracelets and Ballistas

As the caravan trundles onwards, Malik inspects our recent finds in the chest in the third wagon in our caravan. I watch him from my perch on top of the barrels in the second wagon while Rhyie'aanus rides in the back wagon with the rat. Ritzlin wakes up in the back blood-stained wagon saying something I can't hear well from my position. After spending some time in the chest Malik calls out.

"Hey Senassori, come take a look at this!" He says.

I jump across to the wagon, landing next to the chest. "Whatcha find?" I ask.

"Keyhole compartment. Think you can open it?" he says as he clears away the covering jewelry.

Rhyie'aanus pipes us from her spot, "Their like'r should be able to."

"I should. Lemme see it." I say as I take at look at the lock.

A small keyhole is visible in the side of the chest. It had been previously covered by the cloth holding the armbands in place. I rummage in my belt pouch for my small set of lock picks and fiddle deftly with the mechanism. An almost inaudible click and a panel that had been almost completely invisible slides away. A small compartment is revealed in the side containing what looks to be a couple pieces of paper.

"Easy lock." I say with a smile as I put my tools away.

"Papers? Not what I was hoping for but let's take a look." Malik says as he reaches forward and grabs the papers.

I move back a bit in the wagon, giving him some room as he spreads out the papers and looks at them intently. Ritzlin stands up at this point and looks around, eyes blinking the sleep away from his eyes.

"This is interesting... They are letters of marquis." Malik says in almost disbelief. "Rhyie'aanus, come here!"

"What is it?" she calls from her wagon.

"He found letters of marque." I say in response.

"Blank letters of marquis from Nidal." Malik further enumerates.

"Ooooo, 'ats worth climbing 'cross a couple wagons." she says before she does just that and climbs over the gap between the two wagons.

"Have a look for yourself." Malik says as he hands her the papers.

She takes a few moments to examine them, rubbing on the seal and over certain areas of the paper. "Whell, they're either impeccable forgeries, or... or some'n stole these afore 'ey coul' be assigned. Pretty ironic if 'at'd be the case."

"And we just so happen to know someone actually from Nidal." Malik says with a grin.

Rhyie'aanus nods before her face becomes a little quizzical, "Don' know of any lizardfolk from Nidal. 'Ey must've stolen 'iss chest from some'n 'at still 'ese."

"The merchants were human." Malik notes.

"bBt 'ey were the type like Borun, from 'round 'ere. Although it is still possible. Could'a been some sor' of great raid."

"True, and chests can be repurposed for new cargo. No telling how long ago they may have been stolen

"Yeah, 'an iss paper isn't even partic'ly new." Rhyie'aanus notes, looking at the yellowing of the pages.

"Is it still valid though?" I ask her.

" 'Ese kin's of fings don' expire after a time. 'Ey expire with the one 'oos name is on 'em; an' 'ese're lacking in 'at department currently." She explains.

"Maybe what is visibly written on the paper is just meant to confuse whoever gets their greedy hands on it?" Ritzlin chimes in.

"Then what do you see rat mage? Malik says to him.

Ritzlin takes a moment to follow Rhyie'aanus path in climbing over into the cart, "May I have a closer look at the paper?"

Malik hands him the papers, after a few seconds Ritzlin hands them back shaking his head.

"My eyes are still tired...maybe you should try Malik."

Malik takes a few moments and then shakes his head. "I don't see anything. I think these are what they seem."

"Stupid worthless papers." Ritzlin says and then hops back to last wagon.

"So, are we gonna sell them in Katapesh, too?" Borun asks, having listened to our conversations.

"Not openly." I say with a little horror.

"Agreed, people would kill for these." Malik says.

"Oh I know." I say, remembering my previous actions, "Things of this value people will throw everything away for."

"Wha' abou' all 'ese armband fings?" Ryhie'aanus asks as she tirls one in her hand.

"Just as they are they are worth a good bit, if they prove magic that's even more." I venture.

"We keep those that we want and sell the rest. Magic is quite useful." Malik says as he puts the papers back in their compartment and shuts the door.

"Use it everyday." Rhyie'aanus agrees.

"I avoid it as much as possible." I say.

"You would." She replies.

"Then you don't need any enchanted shinies." Malik teases.

"If I don't have to use it and it just sits there doing something useful I might. I just never liked the idea of trying to manipulate it." I reply.

"I mean, she's welcome to an armband if'n she wants a shiny." Rhyie'aanuse tells Malik.

"If they have actual magical properties, I would really like to wear 100 of them." Ritzlin pipes in.

"That would weigh more than you do." I say.

"You have 100 arms?" Malik says sarcastically.

"He could wear them on his tail. Still be heavy." I suggest.

At my suggestion, Ritzlin turns around and lifts up back of kilt to reveal that he in fact has no tail.

"Gross." Rhyie'aanus comments.

I start laughing. "He has no tail."

"Your family?" Malik asks.

"I was born without one." Ritzlin says as he lowers the hem.

"So your family, but not on purpose..." Rhyie'aanus says with a smile.

"Still funny. Never seen a rat without his tail." I say with a laugh.

"I believe my entirety was not on purpose." Ritzlin says.

"Maybe not, but you still happened so there's a reason." I say.

"Maybe his reason is to be fate's gift to you." Rhyie'aanus says to me, sarcasm coming through her laughter.

"Dunno if I like this gift." I say with a look.

Ritzlin looks at her quizzically as if trying to understand but shrugs after a while. A freakish hyena laugh booms from the front of the wagon where Borun has apparently been translating our conversation to Dave. I stick my tongue out at him. As I do so the drake glides over and licks my outstretched tongue. I make many weird sputtering noises as I wipe my tongue off with my paws. "The drake just Frenched me!"

"Mayhaps fate's given ya two gifts..." Rhyie'aanus says laughing.

Next to her Malik starts laughing nearly uncontrollably while Ritzlin seems to be ignoring us all as he stares up into the skies.

"An'way, do we wanna figure 'ese fings out?" Rhyie'aanus says after Malik tames his laughter, holding up one of the dozen armbands.

Ritzlin snaps back into the present, "I can take a look at them...no promises though." He says, hopping back over into our wagon.

"Well rat mage these are why you are here and a promise you already made." Malik reminds Ritzlin.

"That and keeping the wagons held together." Rhyie'aanus adds.

"These armbands definitely hold magical substance," Ritzlin says after looking at one for a moment, "I just don't exactly know what it will grant the wearer."

Malik's face turns sour and becomes visibly irritated at this information.

"Senassori, ya still want one?" Rhyie'aanus asks me.

I shrug. "I would like one. Which one has the least threatening feel to it's magic?"

"We should get them actually identified before we pass them out." Malik says, eying Ritzlin angrily.

Ritzlin, seeming sataisfied with his work smiles at Malik "Your welcome!" he says then cheerfully hops back to the other cart.

"If he can't mount the ballista I'm gonna kill him. I do not enjoy being played." I hear Malik mumble.

I reach over and pat Malik on the shoulder, sensing and seeing his annoyance. "It will be fine. He may just be off. Running for your life can do that to ya. He hasn't hurt anything, and I can always chase him off if needed."

Malik takes a few deep breaths and relaxes. He then hops into the wagon Ritalin is in. "Why don't you go give identifying the enchantments another shot. This time only work on one at a time instead of the whole bunch and cast detect magic if you know it, may help."

I smile, happy for one of the first times in many weeks.

"I coul' give i' a go, but I'd prolly just break 'em. Not the kinda magic I'm trained for." Rhyie'aanus suggests.

"Hmmm...let's let Ritzlin try on a single one. If it works he can do the others. We have time till we need to know what they do." I venture.

"I can also try, but arcane isn't really my thing." Malik adds.

"An' if'n 'at doesn't work, then we can let Senassori figure them out." Rhyie'aanus points out.

"The least magical of us all." Malik laughs.

I shrug. "I will if he doesn't want to."

"Whell, putting one on woul' give the mos' definitive proof..." Rhyie'aanus suggests.

Ritzlin looks at Malik with confusion written on his face. "Sure I guess I can give it another go one by one." Then he hops back over to the other wagon.

I fish one of the bracelets out and toss it to Ritzlin. The band is golden inscribed with a tree which has an inset emerald in the trunk. Ritzlin's eyes start to cross as he focuses on the arm band in his hands. He squints before shaking his head.

"Hmmm... how about this one." I say, tossing him another one, this is also gold but plain with an inset ruby.

After a pause Ritzlin's eye's light up, "This seems to carry the element of fire."

"Oooo. That could be fun." I say.

"Damage amplifier or resistance?" Malik asks, interested now that progress is being made.

I chuck two more bands at Ritzlin which he catches. Another pause, this time Ritzlin's tongue sticks out before he pronounces the one that is silver this time inset with a sapphire as being undead and cold but the second, gold with a rotatable ruby in the center, alludes him. He takes a look at the fire one again but then tosses them back.

"Well then. Keep tossing the identified ones here and I'll sort." I say as I catch the bands and arrange then next to me in the wagon.

Ritzlin nods and takes up the next two, a gold band engraved with vines and another silver one with offset grid patterns, "Wow? this first one is very happy, and this second one doesn't want me to look at it anymore."

"What kind of what?" I say, very confused.

"Let me see that one." Malik says.

"Which one?" Ritzlin asks.

"The 'don't look at me' one." Malik clarifies.

Ritzlin tosses over the indicated silver and gridded armband.

"Well it's not umbral, so it is an enchantment." Malik says after inspecting it.

"Leaves six more. Here ya go." I say and give him the rest.

Malik places his armband in with the identified ones. I reach over and shift the band a little so it is in line with the others. Ritzlin tosses the others over and I make a pretty line of the ones we have looked at.

Ritzlin squints his eyes as he looks at the remaining ones, "I can't tell with two of these. As I look at this one, (golden inscribed with chevrons) it seems to get smaller and smaller. One of these is real somtimes, and other times is fake (silver inset with an emerald). This other one (silver and gold twisted together) lets senses pass through it, and the last one (silver inset with a ruby) is very strong willed."

He walks over to me and drops the bands at my feet, "Here!... Sensing magic makes me hungry."

Ritzlin returns to his spot and pulls out a block of cheese and starts to nibble at it.

"Ok." I say as I sort them with the four ones he wasn't able to tell anything from off to the side.

"Let me see those, I'll give them a shot." Malik says, beckoning to the four offset ones.

"So not very descriptive, but we know more than we did." I say as I hand the unknown ones to Malik.

Ritzlin watches Malik intensely, watching the "master magician" work. He takes a big bite of cheese "Vewy goof teese."

"Don't talk with your mouth full. It's rude." I say.

I play with the bracelets as I wait for Malik to finish looking at the other bracelets, watching the light dance across the surface and glint against the wagon. I look over and try to attract the drake over with the glinting light. After and extended amount of time Malik snaps back to reality,

"Holy shit some of these are cool." He exclaims.

"Oh?" I say, still playing with the bracelets. I'd managed to get the Drake's attention and it looks at me with a cocked head.

"You want one?" I say to the drake.

"Intretting, what id oof find." Ritzlin says through a mouthful of cheese.

"This one, the silver with a tree and emerald, allows charming of animals, this one," Malik picks up the one with a large ruby that rotates in a golden band, inverts it and tosses it to Ritzlin "you won't be able to carry as much but the brainpower will be quite useful. This one, yeah... a cool light in a dark night... no idea but the silver and moonstone inset makes it look nice. This one, the plain gold band, actually reverses age."

"Huh. Could be useful." I say, still trying to lure the drake closer.

Ritzlin slips the arm band around his bicep. "Fits perfectly."

"Indeed, These last two, one increases willpower and this one allows you to phase through solid matter."

I flick the bracelet that is supposed to have something to do with fire at the drake, attempting to get it over its head onto its neck as he creeps closer to me, "I'll take the phasing one please."

"You should be careful to not fall through the ground." Ritzlin says to me, almost seeming genuine in the warning.

"Yeah let the thief phase through walls." Malik says as he tosses the armband to me.

"Exactly." I say as I catch the bauble and tuck it into my belt pouch.

My previous attempt to ring the drake missed and the armband had fallen to the ground. The drake stares at it curiously before taking a sniff at it.

"Try it on." I say to the drake. "You might like what it does, if it does what I think it will."

"I'll take th' shifty silver and green'n." Ryhie'aanus says.

I toss the indicated armband to her, the one which was supposed to be real or fake at times. She looks at the band, turning it over in her porcelain hands before putting it on. The drake licks the armband I had thrown to him before scurrying off with it in his teeth.

Malik is turning the age reversing one over in his hands, the plain gold shining nicely in the light, "Rhyie'aanus. Wearing this for a couple months may undo your ceramic exterior."

"I can't wait to see what happens when he puts that on." I say to myself, watching where the drake scurried off to.

"Does't reverse age or time? 'Cause you said't reverses age." She says.

"Age, but you were so old when it happened, and you don't have to turn back the world, just yourself and then it won't happen again." Malik says.

"Wha' happened to me was magic, so I dunno what'd do..."

"And this is magic. I won't promise anything, just thinking out loud."

"Shoul' we give one t'Dave?"

"Who is Dave?" Ritzlin pipes in.

"Think one'll fit on his arms?" Malik asks, looking at the silver gridded band again.

Rhyie'aanus turns and barks something at Dave, who is still seated up by Borun. He barks back and they seem to have a short conversation in the barking and growling language that Dave uses.

"Says 'e doesn't trust magic." Rhyie'aanus tells Malik after a time.

"You can always take it off." I say, still looking at where the drake went.

"Funny, cause magic doesn't seem to trust me." Ritzlin says.

"You could say that again." Borun says with a laugh.

"Funny, cause magic doesn't seem to trust me." Ritzlin says again, in almost a perfect sarcastic tone.

Borun sits their with his mouth open for a moment, trying to process what just happened.

"Smart butt." I say with a slight smile.

"Muss be the armband." Rhyie'aanus says with a similar grin.

I place the remaining bracelets back into the chest, securing them for whatever future uses we have of them. Malik continues to examine silver band and still holds the last band, also silver but with a ruby. After a while he hands the first band back to me to put in the chest.

"This slows you down but any wounds you suffer won't be as severe." he says before putting the silver and ruby band on his arm.

"Any that give me more money?" Borun asks, seeing that we have finished assaying the jewelry.

"There's one that may make you happy without money." Malik replies.

"Impossible." Borun states flatly.

"I knew you'd say that, others are pretty damn valuable so they are money once sold, and don't forget the letter of marquis." Malik says.

"Isn't it possible to get more loot and make more money if we become pirates? Rather than just selling it?" Ritzlin comments.

Borun turns to look at Ritzlin, thoughts obviously running through his mind.

"That it would be, and with the age band the captain could stay alive forever." Malik says.

"Hmm..." Borun ponders before looking around at the darkening landscape. "It's getting pretty late, do we wanna camp here for the night?"

"Probably a good idea." I say as I put the other bracelet Malik handed to me into my pouch, the one that should lessen my wounds and I put on the one that should let me phase through things.

"Doesn't matter. I slept half the day, so I won't mind staying up and watching over things." Ritzlin says.

"True. Let's make camp and settle for the night." I agree.

"An'en we can sort through all 'iss loot we been getting." Rhyie'aanus adds.

"That is true. We have a lot of random stuff we took." I say.

The caravan comes to a halt by the side of the road. We set about making camp before returning to the loot we had gathered.

"Come to think of it the immortality bracelet could make two people live forever. Just switch off every day and you'll never get older, just no younger." Malik says.

"Most magic like that has a condition or drawback. I wouldn't trust it much." I mention.

"Or ya coul' be like Dave and juss no' trust it altogether" Rhyie'aanus suggests.

"It has proven useful in the past so I trust that which I've seen or is common." I elaborate.

"An' I even 'ad a run-in wif some 'at wasn't seen or common, an' I still truss' it." Rhyie'aanus adds.

"I blew up a cat when I was 7, you learn it and control it and it's fine." Malik says with a shrug.

"You What?" I say, hoping I heard him wrong.

"Yup was when I was discovered my magic. I was petting an alley cat outside my uncle's butcher shop and I started to feel it's body, magically, and when I looked deeper it went pop and I was covered in gore." Malik explains.

"Gross." Balrun states.

"Since you didn't mean to I'll ignore your murder of a feline." I say.

"Your discovery was better than mine. I was in my room back in the mountains, when I started to feel as if something cold was near by. I closed my eyes to focus, and then my brother dumped a bucket of ice on my head." Ritzlin adds.

"That is great." I say.

"Ey, ice bucket boy, fink you coul' make summat from 'iss?" Rhyie'aanus says as she tosses the crossbow to Ritzlin, "Iss pre'y heavy, so you may wanna flip 'at armband 'round when you're moving it."

Ritzlin does as she suggests and flips the ruby on his armband. He catches the crossbow and sets it on the ground before him, flipping the ruby back to its previous position. He walks around the crossbow, muttering to himself, planning what to do with it.

"They want it to become a mounted ballista for me to shoot from the wagons, just an FYI." I tell him, trying to help his tiny brain think.

"And the bloody wagon is for parts." Malik adds.

"That should be enough. I will get started."

He flips the ruby back around again and carries the crossbow over to the bloody wagon. A flip of the ruby back again and he pulls out his tools and sets to work on building a mounted ballista in one of the wagons.

"This should take about 4 hours to finish." He calls out after taking a few measurements.

The hours pass, and the rest of us work about making food and taking care of the oxen. Eventually we are all called over to witness the finished product. It is mounted in the center of the third wagon in our little caravan. It looks just like the original crossbow but now rests on a swivel so it can be aimed in all directions. The ballista's bone white wooden arms glint in the moonlight, highlighting the black symbols that were etched into them by some infernal hand in times long past.

"That looks kinda nasty sitting there." I comment.

"Has anyone noticed the etched symbols on the arms of the ballista?" Ritzlin asks.

"Yeah, whell, we did take 'at fing from th' corpse of a demon 'at we killed, so..." Rhyie'aanus says with a shrug.

"So you would say the symbols are magical?" Ritzlin asks her.

"Prolly, bu', you know, never shot it or anyfing"

"It being the weapon of a demon might have some negative affect on the operator when firing it, or have a very powerful effect on whoever gets shot by it."

"Whell, we'll see when i' gess used on somat."

"Or I can try and read it, but that could also be dangerous." Ritzlin says before looking over to me, "Hey cat lady, you will probably be operating it the most. What do you think?"

"I' was a pestulance demon of sor's, so you migh' ge' aids." Rhyie'aanus continues.

Ritzlin looks down at his feeble body. "I might already have some kind of aids."

"I think it could be fun." I say as I jump up and swing it around. I load it and aim the ballista just over Ritzlin's head. I squint my eyes and fire it on impulse. The bolt passes quite close to his face, rippling through his red afro wig. Ritzlin stares at me intently, as if he was trying to see my soul.

A second passes before Ritzlin falls to the ground, gasping for breath. He yells a few things in gobblin before passing out into a deep sleep. We go over and look at him and from under his bright red wig we can just see a line of blood coming from a cut across his head in the path of the ballista bolt which must have grazed him on its flight.

"Good job girl." Malik says.

"I didn't mean to hit him." I say, kinda shocked.

"Sure looks that way." Malik says.

"Did ya juss no' mean to hit'm or did ya mean to Not hit'm. Bit o' a difference." Rhyie'aanus asks.

"Let me thank you for this ballista by shooting you with it." Malik says, imitating my voice.

"Chaos begets chaos. 'Ad it coming. Though, are we gonna do anyfing 'bout him or just leave 'im bleeding 'ere?" Rhyie'aanus asks.

"Good question, probably should." Malik says, but he just stands there looking at him.

"Didn't mean to hit him, but I did cut it a little close. We should probably bandage him up and move him till he wakes up."

"Meh," Malik shrugs and walks over to the fire, "you said food was ready didn't you Borun?"

I watch Malik move away and jump down from the wagon. I stand next to Ritzlins body, seeing blood seep slowly from the graze on his head. I fetch my water skin and use a rag to clean off the blood as much as possible. I drag him over to lay by a wagon yet near enough the fire to not get cold. I then join Malik by the fire and take some food, eating quickly.

"Senassori, did you find any sewing implements in the other wagons tools?" Malik asks me.

"Why do you want sewing stuff?" I say between bites, glancing at his gauntleted hands.

"To make robes out of the tarp. " Malik sets his food down and grabs the tarp out of his pack and holds it up showing the pattern.

"Ok..." I say, questioning.

"Honestly I think the cube would be an immensely useful weapon to someone who can resist it's influence reliably." Malik adds.

Dave barks at Rhyie'aanus and they hae some sort of conversation. Dave gets up and goes to sit near Ritzlin and stares at him unmoving form.

"I guess making clothes from it would work. But you would need some heavy duty thread." I say.

"How far is the next town Borun?" Malik asks.

"The next town is all the way on the coast. The closest civilized place would be Sueda Lodge, and that's almost 75 miles of road away." Borun replies.

"Would they have the stuff I want?."

"Needles for a project, yeah."

"All you would need is some heavy thread, I have a needle." I say as I pull a slightly bent needle out of the fabric of my backpack. I try to straighten it with little luck.

Malik rolls the tarp back up and put it in his bag and then resumes eating. "I have no thread though. We could turn back the other town only a day or so away but that would only delay us."

"The crossroads was a day back. The town is about another day and a half travel after the crossroads." Borun clarifies

"That would delay, but if only a few of us go it could be ok. Though I don't think he will make it far if he ever wakes up." I say, gesturing to Ritzlin. "Theoretically you could unravel the canvas at the edge and get the thread you would need."

"At a march you and I could probably do that and be back in a couple days Rhyie'aanus." Malik suggests.

"Woul' 'e even be alive in a couple days, an' do I wanna walk 'at much for a rat?..." Rhyie'aanus says.

"It's not for the rat, Malik doesn't want to go alone to buy some string." I say, "But I'll take first watch tonight. Don't think I'd be able to sleep much anyways."

"Prolly shoul' be your standard role, else you'll never wake up f'r a watch!" Rhyie'aanus says.

"Agreed, and I think it'll wait until we get to the lodge." Malik says.

Everyone finishes eating and takes their respective places around the fire. Rhyie'aanus and Borun go to sleep quickly while Dave goes to sleep but remains near Ritzlin. I walk around the camp, watching the surroundings and my comrades. I'm not quite ready to call them friends but maybe someday.

Not much time has passed into my watch when I hear a rustling. I look over and see Ritzlin crawling over towards me slowly.

"Hey you are awake." I say to him, "Though, we may want to fix your head now before you pass out again."

I look over towards Malik, "Malik, think you could close up his wound or bandage it at least so it stops bleeding?"

"Look what you did to me. There is no recovering from this." Ritzin spits, anger present in his eyes.

He pulls his hammer out of his belt and barely manages to swing it in my direction. I duck and grab the end of the hammer, "Just chill for a minute. I didn't mean to hit you, I was aiming above you but didn't realize how the ballista would fire. It was my bad but at least I had the decency to clean off your head and move you to be near the fire."

He mutters something in a different language.

"Well fine, be that way." I say. "Be rude and bleed out. I was just trying to help after I made a mistake."

I hear Malik chuckly as he lays down and I walk away to continue to watch around the camp. As I turn away, Ritzlin mutters something and suddenly the campfire goes out. I crouch down and flick out my claws, giving time for my eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness.

"You're gonna be cold to rat." I hear Malik say as my eyes adjust and I see him wrap himself tighter in his blankets.

I look over at Ritzlin as he mutters some more and throws his hands out at Malik. Something liquid sizzles as it hits the ground next to Malik's bedroll. I hear Rhyie'aanus stir from the commotion as Malik jumps up from his bedroll. He sprints over at Ritzlin, hands outwards. As he touches the rat's chest it almost seems to explode from the new gaping wound Malik has magically inflicted.

The rat drops like a stone. Malik reaches down and pulls the armband Ritzlin had been wearing and begins rifling through his pockets.

"Well that rat went crazy." I say, sheathing my claws and willing my fur to lie flat again.

"Yup and good riddance, At least he did mount the ballista for us." Malik says as he tosses aside several items.  
"Somewhat glad to be rid of him, but I do feel bad for shooting him." I say.

Malik makes a little pike of the items he pulls from Ritzlin. A red silk-weave afro wig which Ritzlin had been wearing, and eye patch, a red silk scarf, very nice backpack made of some sort of fish skin, various master craftsman toold and items, and a good amount of coin. I pick up a piece of paper, a note he had scribbled down at some point while he was dying.

Things were going so well. I recruited some pawns to slaughter my fellow colt members in your name. I am weak, but thou art strong. I gained thier trust and would have continued useing them in your name, but I was weak, and they were strong. Please forgive my feebleness, and allow me to sit at thy side in the Great Void. May crazed violence and mayhem fall upon the earth forever.

-Ritzlin the Weak- a true fallower of Nyarlathotep."

I read the note and put it back on the pile of things. As I do so, Malik proceeds to rip a piercing out of the nose of the dead rat. He looks over and tosses me the nose ring. "Can you clean that out?"

I catch the nose ring with slight disgust. I rub it on the ground, dislodging the flesh before wiping it on my skirt flap. Malik pockets some of the things, including the coin, before tossing the pack and wig into the wagon and crawling back into bed. Rhyie'aanus lightly kicks Dave awake and barks something at him. Dave get up and moves himself over to the rat's corpse, a hungry look in his eyes.

"Have him eat that a ways away if you can." Malik says sleepily.

I set the ring I have now cleaned next to Malik before assuming my watch. I notice the small bird-like thing walking over to where Dave has started eating Ritzlin. I look at his rapidly disappearing corpse with slight regret but find no remorse for his death. I walk over and try to revive the drenched fire with my flint. The wood refuses to take a spark so after a bit I give up and resume my stalking around the camp.


	13. Trade a Rat for a Fox

p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"The camp has quieted as my watch continues. I'm looking out over the surrounding hills when I hear the distant sound of steel clashing against steel over to the east. I cautiously walk over in the direction of the sounds, making sure I can still make out our campsite behind me as I go. I cross over a few hills before I come to the base of one and can make out the shapes of figures ahead of me. Standing on the top of the rocky hill that I'm below, I see several dark, hooded figures fighting a figure robed in the red style that I recognize to being the same as what Rhyie'aanus wears. I peer closer at them and recognize them from my training, the hooded creatures being assassins who dwell deep below the surface in the underdark. I back away slowly and return to our camp. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Upon my return I find Dave fast asleep and the bird-thing asleep in the rat carcass next to him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Why do you like sleeping in your food? That's nasty." I say quietly./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"I resume my watch, paying attention to the sounds coming from the small battle being fought a few hills over. Content that they are not coming closer towards me I pull out Malik's pack from beside him and get out the pieces of canvas Malik had been working on. He has cut out the pieces from the canvas and kept the scraps. I pull out a dagger and start picking at the scraps, unravelling the fabric and wrapping up the strings into a ball. As I'm doing so a brilliant flash of white light illuminates the dark night sky over the hills towards the east. I wince against the sudden brightness and drop the fabric. I can faintly hear the sounds of steel clashing together./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Seriously guys, there is no need for such a bright light. I know you are there." I say out loud but to myself, rubbing my eyes against the spots imprinted on my vision. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"The sounds grow slowly louder, as if the fight is moving in the direction of the caravan./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"em"Can't I get one watch without crap happening." /emI say to myself in my native tongue, em"This is why I don't like to be on watch. Crap happened. Only to me. No one else."/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"I unsheathe my daggers and crouch in the shadows next to the wagon nearest to where the noises are coming from. A few minutes pass before another bright flash appears and the sounds grow closer still. I rub my eyes again, debating waking Rhyie'aanus or not. As my eyes refocus, I see one of the dark figures running in my direction a few feet away, a short black sword held in both hands./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"I curse in catfolk, "Rhyie'aanus! We have company!" I yell out./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"An arrow sprouts from the dark figure's neck as the robed stranger slides down the hill, notching another arrow to it's bow. The dark figure erupts in a blindingly white fireball. I throw my wrists over my eyes, still holdin onto my daggers, as I try to block out the light, "Seriously with the lights!" I call out, spots refusing to go away this time./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"I hear Malik exclaiming something, either awoken by the light or my shouting. "Seriously? How many of you am I gonna find!" I hear him exclaim after a moment as he comes towards me./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Well, that's a lot closer than usual…" I hear Rhyie'aanus say from behind as she lifts up her rifle./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Closer than usual?" Malik asks./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""They were a ways away but came closer." I say, moving out of my spot./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Rhyie'aanus ignores Malik's question and instead fires at the crowd. One dark figure drops. I move behind Rhyie'aanus, knowing I don't stand much of a chance currently in fighting. Malik realizes he's needed and charges off into the fray. The robed stranger sheaths the bow and pull out duel swords matching the ones the dark figures are wielding. A small white fox joins the stranger at their feet./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Great, it has a critter." I say aloud./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I have a familiar…got a problem with that?" Rhyie'aanus says over her shoulder./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Only when it decides to French me without warning. Past that your drake is ok."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Well, bad news about that fox…"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""You know that fox?!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Everybody knows that fox."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Apparently I was left out of the loop for that one."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Rhyie'aanus shoots another of the dark figures. Malik calls out, "Need a hand?!", before punching the nearest figure in dark clothing. Rhyie'aanus fires again and hits another creature. Black tendrils spring up from the ground and grab towards the dark figures and Malik as well. Everyone jerks in pain as the tendrils tighten around them. The one that Malik had hit moments before explodes into a blindingly white fireball. Several of those near the fireball pop in similar blinding flashes. After the lights die away only Malik and a single dark figure remain, surrounded by small ash piles which are all that remains of it's cohorts and the dark tendrils. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Dave runs over near Malik and the remaining dark figure, but he stays back from the field of waving black tendrils. He sniffs in their direction warily. I stay back behind Rhyie'aanus, knowing I don't have the strength to throw my daggers that far. The drake flies up from the wagons and goes up to where the white fox is and chitters to it in a friendly manner. Malik wrenches himself against the black tendril holding him in place and manages to break free. He moves through the tendrils and jumps clear of the circle and backs away from the pool of tendrils./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"The dark figure strugges against his entrapment, but can't manage to get free. The robed stranger sheaths her swords, pulls out her bow, and notches an arrow. Rhyie'aanus moves over and joins Malik and the robed stranger with her gun drawn towards the dark figure./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""You can finish that one." Malik says./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Me?" Rhyie'aanus asks before looking over at me, "Senassori, you wanna ge' one? You aven't gotten t'get any yet."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Sure." I say as I jump up to the ballista./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"As I do so Malik sees me and hits the dirt. I maneuver the ballista to point at the dark figure and pull on the trigger. The bolt flies true and slams into the figure, causing him to explode into a bright fireball just like the others. About thirty seconds after he explodes the tendrils retreat down into the earth and disappear. The robed stranger begins picking through the ash piles for loot and Rhyie'aanus shoulders her gun and joins in./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Haha, just needed to shoot a rat to calibrate this thing." I exclaim./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Oh boy." Malik says as he turns back to the wagons, "Have fun Rhyee."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Shouldn't we shoot that one too?" I say to Rhyie'aanus./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Wha'?" Rhyie'aanus shouts, being a little over thirty yards away from me./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"I turn to Malik and repeat my query./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Malik hesitates, confusion showing across his face, "You mean the 214supth/sup scout?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Yeah, the one still standing."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""If you really want to but Rhee will kill you."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Awwww, I was just getting ready to have more fun with this thing."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Malik chuckles and lays back down./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Then maybe you shouldn't have spent the whole fight hiding behind Rhyie'aanus." I hear Borun call out from his tent, apparently having awoken at some point./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I didn't want to hit Malik since he ran out there." I tell him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Rhyie'aanus and the robed stranger return to the wagons. In their arms they carry a decent pile of weapons and bottles. I glance over the weapons, a few daggers, shortswords, a kukri, and the bottles seem to contain some sort of black liquid./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Th' reason 'is caravan has been 'as safe for's'long's it's been." Rhyie'aanus says as she puts the stuff into a wagon./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Thought that was due to you?" I say, "Thought you were hunting it?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Talkin' 'bout th' time since I joined it."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""And today he got jumped." Malik says from his bedroll./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Great, how many more of you are out there." I ask./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Don' know a Huldra 'ats a he, but th' two'f us'd been sent af'r 'at cube af'r wha' 'appened down south. Figured it'd be easier to juss leave one'f us out 'ere in case 'em dark folk kep' coming. Been chasin' us since Geb." Rhyie'aanus replies./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""So I don't get to shoot this one." I say./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""What do you have that they want." Malik asks./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Iss a mixture of killin' 'em a lot over th' years and 'em wantin' 'at cube for weird, dark rituals." She explains./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Great." I say sarcastically as I hop out of the wagon./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"The stranger looks over at Malik and speaks in an unnervingly smooth and sultry voice, "That's the one you were telling me about?" she says./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Yep, 'ass 'im." Rhyie'aanus replies./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Great, how much do you know about me?" Malik asks./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"I let my claws slide out, ready to do damage if the stranger threatens Malik. The Huldra reaches out for Malik's hand, "May I?" she asks./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Yeah, not gonna happen. Whatcha want?" Malik replies./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Do you want to know?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Fine." Malik says as he gets up from laying in his bedroll and extends his hand./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"The stranger holds his hand in her left hand. With her right she extends a clawed finger, pricking Malik's palm. She licks the claw, cocking her head to one side as if tasting a fine wine. After a minute, she whispers into Malik's ear. She finishes and releases his hand. Turning away, she moves back to the stash of Dark Folk loot, inspecting one of the bottles./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Malik stares at her in shock, almost reeling back while standing in place. After a few moments he lays back down, a glassy look over his eyes as he stares out into nothing./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Oooookayyyyy." I say, not real sure of what just happened./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""She's 'ike me, 'cept got which powers an' uses a bow 'stead of using m' weapon and wizardry." Rhyie'aanus explains to me./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Hmmmmm." I say, watching Malik and the stranger./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"The stranger looks over at me. Glowing red eyes stare back before she removes her hood, revealing a deep-grey skinned, beautiful woman with hair matching the white of her artic fox. "Truth isn't for everyone." She tells me./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Hmmm. Whatever." I respond./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"I look down at her fox, giving it a slit-eyes look as I'm still not sure about it. It looks at me back, a wide-eyed mischievous look. emTwo can play that game./em I crouch down facing the fox, tail tip twitching slightly. The fox mirrors my movement and yipps excitedly. I adjust my stance before pouncing towards it, it a more playful and friendly manner instead of an attack. The fox dodges back and then jumps at my head. I roll over, batting at it with a paw to which it paws back at me, yipping happily. I jump up and pounce at it again, but it manages to dodge out and jump up into the nearest wagon. I look at it before crouching down, wiggling my legs, and jumping up to it. The fox runs along the wagon, playfully. I look at the fox and then glance around for the drake. Not seeing it I dip down and hide under the wagon. The fox drops down at the tail of the wagon and stares at me for a second before heading back to the Huldra./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Awwww." I say, disappointed, as I crawl out from under the wagon and shake myself./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Making friends?" the Huldra asks with a bemused smile./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"I shrug, "Seemed like he wanted to play."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I c'n take next watch. You've been up plenty tonight, girl." Rhyie'aanus tells me as she shoulders her gun./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Sleep for tomorrow." The Huldra says./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Ok." I agree, happy to be able to rest more than I had thought./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"I go over and curl up next to Malik after putting my things away. I feel the warmth of his body next to mine as I quickly drift off to sleep./p 


End file.
